


Power Struggle

by firagarif



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Genre: Adult Link, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Awkward Mido, Eventual Romance, Fantasy, Happy Ending, Humor, Kokiri Village, M/M, Magic, Mild Blood, Platonic Romance, alternative forest temple
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-15
Updated: 2018-05-27
Packaged: 2018-08-31 06:41:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8568169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firagarif/pseuds/firagarif
Summary: This is the story of Mido as he finds someone rather attractive, but can't seem to speak his mind. Will he confess his feelings towards the other man or shall he stay silent?





	1. The Blonde Hylian in Kokiri Village

**Author's Note:**

> Ahh, I'll say I'm unsure of the feedback I might get but I figured I'd upload this too. So no one's really interested in this pairing? Because I'm intrigued. 
> 
> Quick note: In stories, is Mido destined to be forever alone and hopelessly lost? I actually thought Mido to be a nice guy, he's just jealous of Saria and Link. He is only rude because he's allowing jealousy to cloud his thoughts. I find Mido and Link to be friends and not really rivals as I've seen others write about. I actually find a lot of stories where Mido beats up Link?? Like he isn't that much of an ass. Okay, anyway! Without further ado I introduce my new story, and I'll hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

It was mid-afternoon in Kokiri village. The sun hazily dawning onto Hyrule, emitting waves of warmth. A light breeze shuffled between the tree limbs and blew across the boy's orange hair. Mido was mindlessly humming the tune of a nonchalant song that had once reverberated throughout the woods just a mere few days ago. As he threw his fishing line back into the light stream, Mido blew out a breath and sheathed the edge of his pole into the ground. With another exasperated sigh, he laid his head down on a large cool stone and glanced up at the sky.

He began to ponder what the outside of Kokiri village was like, for not a single Kokiri had ever left the small forest town. And had they disobeyed the law of never entering the monster-plagued forest, they would turn into a skull kid. Or simply die by a Wolfos perhaps. Mido would've preferred being a skull kid, for he could perhaps continue his pursuit for him.

A figure stalked behind and sighed at the sight of the orange-headed Kokiri laying down. "Mido?" With a gasp, the boy shot up and turned to the blonde who was looking at him. His gaze was almost piercing him through and the boy had to focus his eyes elsewhere. Lest he'd like the boy to figure him out. "Have you caught anything yet?" The blonde smiled, walking up to him and taking a seat beside him. 

Mido had hardly registered the man had spoken, and what he heard was barely coherent. "I'm just fishing." He breathed, glancing up at the blonde then quickly back at the grass.

The blonde chuckled, placing his hand on the cool grass that he resided against. "I know, I asked if you caught anything." 

'Damn, bite your tongue Mido! Bite your tongue!' With a swift shake of his head, the Kokiri slowly looked over at the blonde. He was smiling down at Mido, his face becoming a bit heated. "No, not yet."

The blonde momentarily froze up, before a torch seemed to light in his head and he leaned over to reach into his pouch. Mido seemed to frown and his eyes widened as the Hylian leaned a bit closer to him, but gave out a sigh as he stopped short to reveal he was only looking for something. The blonde however heard the sound and looked up at him from his position on the grass. 

"Huh, something wrong?" He asked, slowly stopping to eye Mido carefully. He wasn't the only one hiding something. If the blonde was found out, he supposed Mido might hate him again or even more so than he previously did. And he wanted to settle as friends with the other.

Mido quickly swallowed a lump in his throat and began shaking his hands around. "No! No! I'm fine, really. I think I'm going to head home anyway." His face broke out into a heated mess and he swung up his arm to cover his red-beet face. Quickly grabbing at his fishing pole and rather abruptly standing up, did he turn away from the blonde man.

"You're acting kind of weird, are you feeling okay?" The blonde spoke with a worried tone, but Mido shook his head again, keeping his face covered.

"No, I insist. I'm alright. I'm just going home, to eat dinner now and get sleep." The orange head shut his mouth, for he realized there was no reason behind stating such things.

"That's great Mido, although I didn't really ask." The blonde smirked, mentally shrugging it off as he remained clueless to the Kokiri's thoughts. 

The Kokiri in question was yelling at himself. A week or so ago had this strange blonde Hylian who was forbidden from entering the village, entered anyway and broke into the fairyless boy's home. Mido eventually caught him in the act and ever since, the two had become close friends. When the blonde wasn't saving some supposed princess, he had luxuriously been living in Kokiri. As luxurious as it got, he supposed. And while Mido knew his heart had always yearned for Saria, the sight of the blonde had caught him against a wall. It was no longer friendship that Mido seemed to want. But he hadn't a clue why he desired this, or what had brought such things to his head. But it was evidently existent and he'd have to cope.

The blonde chuckled once more, Mido's heart doing flips at the light sweet sound. "Very well then. After dinner would you like to join me in the Lost Woods, if you're not sick like you said?

Mido nearly jumped at the chance to hang out with the blonde man. Whether or not he was aware of the destination. "Sure!" He happily responded, nodding his head. The Hylian cheered and said his farewell, before making his own descent back to the treehouse he had refused to unoccupy.

~~

After a light meal of fish, and a glass of Deku sap; did Mido dress himself in his green tunic with a large smile plastered on his face. The sun had already begun it's own descent under the forest horizon, but the moon and stars would surely light up wherever they were to go. Mido mindlessly cleaned the makeshift of his home and then left to enter the Lost Woods. 

The orange head had hardly been walking two minutes before he had deemed himself lost. With a tight frown pursed on his lips, he frantically looked around the once lit land. The sun had fallen and the moon seemed to be late, darkened woods terrifyingly quiet. It seemed the request to become a skull kid was not too far off.

It started as a whisper, the sound nothing but perhaps a mirage for the lost Kokiri. But then it sounded within the Lost Woods and his mind found recollection from it. The same tune he had heard days ago, was now being played. He didn't want to just abandon the blonde that he had vowed to accompany. But the tune was so mystifying to not follow. And Mido took it upon himself to find the source. Then when he found the source, and only then, would he search for the waiting Hylian. He could only hope the man was patient.

As he quickly followed the approaching sound, footsteps quiet to not alarm the source, he slowed as a large clearing came into view. He crouched behind a bracket of bushes and peered into the clearing. It was mostly occupied by a large pond of boiling water that steamed, while also reflecting a translucent blue from the barely visible moon rays. A stream from a log lodged into a stone wall poured steamy water inside the spa. To the side was two logs, but a man was occupying one of them.

With a gasp, then an abrupt hand over his mouth to cover anymore sounds, did he realize the blonde he had been trying to find was seated on the log. He had rather long hair that seemed to drape on his shoulders, as well as a well-kept muscled body with plenty of scars to match all his battle stories. The boy was also rather bare, just a light white towel draped around his waist and fell down to his knees. A blue Ocarina was gripped in his hands as his fingers swiftly but delicately covered the small holes and uncovered them. His eyes were closed and he looked overall at peace, simply playing Mido's most admired song. Courage drained from his face that was vividly replaced with blood, and the Kokiri glanced away, eyes trained on the grass he sat on.

"I must go. I agreed to this and I will not back down." With a deep breath, Mido slowly got to a standing point. He had to take in another breath to summon a lot of his strength. With simply a few strides, he had been visible to the blonde, and walking slowly up to him. He watched as the Ocarina split from the blondes mouth and the glinting azure eyes open to look at him.

"Mido! You made it after all!" The Hylian seemed to cheer, and it caused the boy in question to smile sheepishly. 

"Y-yeah, I suppose I did." He rubbed the back of his head nervously, and he supposed that he had never gotten much into a conversation with him to know what to say.

The blonde nodded, placing the blue flute down before standing and looking down at Mido. "I'm really glad you came out here. Oh, want to join me in the pond? It's rather warm today." The Hylian asked but nonetheless waited for no response. He mindlessly let the towel fall and dip his foot in. Mido glanced away too quick to notice the man had worn a pair of small shorts. The blonde sunk down into the water and reclined his head against the grassy edge of the pond. With a sigh that the man had seemed to be holding in, he outstretched his arms to lay against the cool grass. 

Mido gulped and grabbed an extra towel sprawled on the log that the Hylian must've brought for him. With his best regards, thanking him silently for letting him borrow the cloth, Mido slowly undressed himself to only his undergarments and slinked over to the steaming pond. He lightly prodded his toes into the water to test it, and nearly recoiled back at it's extreme heat. Had he not remembered the blonde was watching him -which in all actuality he was not- had Mido ran and never returned to the boiling water. But he would remain calm and would bare it, if not only for his reputation of being fearless, he wanted to be closer to the Hylian. With that last thought locked in place, he eagerly dipped underneath the water once more.

Warm chills shivered up his body but he remained still, trying his best to not show how hot the water actually was. It was rather unnatural, for it had hardly even turned over to Fall mere weeks ago. If he wanted to hang out with the peculiar blonde however, he supposed a bit of supernatural he could endure.

"So, how was your dinner? Eat anything good tonight?" The Hylian asked, and Mido had to admit he admired someone with an odd choice of questions.

"Not really anything of much interest. Just some leftover fish." The Kokiri shrugged off, trying to seem unfazed by the question. The blonde nodded.

"Aha, so you did catch something?" The Hylian claimed, somewhat grinning at Mido. The villager thought nothing of it.

"I haven't caught a single trout all day, that was from yesterday's leftovers. Didn't have anything else besides Deku nuts. But I'm not entirely sure they are edible." Mido contemplated, rubbing his chin as if in thought. The blonde man snickered, then his laugh started up and he could hardly control himself. The Kokiri would've questioned what he had said that was so funny, but he was rather amused that he had even stifled a laugh from him.

Wiping at tears that had formed as his laugh quieted down to a soft inner rumble, the blonde grinned from ear to ear. "Trust me, Deku nuts are not edible." A snicker kept forming in his throat and he kept having to pretend he was coughing to cover up his laughter.

"Whad'dya mean? You wouldn't know from experience, would you?" Mido curiously gazed at the hero who quickly shook his head. That reply was pleasing to know the blonde hadn't attempted to eat the hard nut.

"No, no, no. No way. Just the princess once told me a rather amusing tale of a villain being served a plate of Deku nuts for dinner." His smiled almost immediately vanished, thinning out to a frown. His gaze looked elsewhere, off into the forest.

"Huh?" Mido prodded. "You'll have to tell me this story. It sounds rather amusing." The boy smiled at the blonde who snapped his head straight.

The younger man looked at the grin on Mido's face, spread from cheek to cheek. With a toothy smirk of his own, he begin to elaborate. "Y-yeah? Well I suppose a tale wouldn't hurt. As you know I honor my princess very highly, and I follow her orders. And if I recall, I already told you about her being an undercover follower of Ganondorf." Something in the man snapped and he frowned at the Gerudo's name. With little hesitance, he slowly began up again. Kokiri didn't know much to anything about the outside world. What little knowledge they indeed knew wouldn't cause any real danger. For they would never tell, or even fight for that matter. "W-well once the servant ordered to serve him food was walking down the halls to the dining hall, did she knock him out and replace them with some stolen nuts. She then served the food to him and lied that the chef specially prepped the meal. As soon as he bit down, his teeth made an awful cracking noise, and one of his back teeth even fell out!" By the end, the blonde was shaking once more from laughter.

Mido chuckled, for losing a tooth on Deku nuts could be anything but prideful. The water shifted and he glanced up at the Hylian who had gone to lightly scrubbing grime and dirt from his hair. "Yeah, the princess has told me many things to try and make up for lost memories." 

A glint of gold on the Hylian's hand caught his eye, but he hardly registered it as anything as the blonde settled to a still position in the water once more. Mido nervously gulped, his fingers mindlessly intertwining. "Uh, lost memories? Have you lost part of your memories?"

Suddenly the blondes gaze widened and he stared blankly at Mido. "What? No. It's-. I'd rather not say." He quickly stuttered out, leaving the pond quiet. It was rather peaceful when no noise echoed out and the moon was the only thing witnessing the scene.

"Hey, wait. If you've forgotten a part of your memory, I want to," Mido paused, his body shifting uncomfortably from the blonde's curious gaze. "I want to help you restore it. You should be allowed to know what took place during the time you can't remember. And I'd be willing to help." The Kokiri pried, but he had no clue what he could possibly be signing up for.

The blonde clenched his eyes shut, waving his head in dismissal." No, I wasn't-. I wasn't here. I never witnessed all those years. To claim to even know all the things that had happened would be lying. And I like to stay true to people." 'But not you.' The Hylian tilted his head up, eyes still firmly sealed shut.

Mido was baffled, stumbling over words in his head. What did he mean 'not here.' Surely he was alive, so what had taken place during the -years, was it?- that he didn't want to remember. "B-but surely you are curious." Mido seemed to be asking more than stating. He wouldn't claim anything from the man until he was completely sure. "How many years are you missing anyway?" The orange head asked, eyeing the blonde. 

The Hylian clenched his jaw, and seemed to be attempting to hold his tongue, for his own sake. He abruptly stood and dragged himself out of the water, rippling as the body maneuvered out of it's coaxing warmth. "You want to know how long I've been missing out on the world? How long I've been unable to talk, much less come in contact with anyone in a lucid dream?" The blonde asked, scrunching up his towel to lazily dry his hair.

Mido nodded, pulling himself out of the water too. "Yeah, how long?" He asked timidly, for the tone the Hylian used seemed mad, but also perhaps upset or offended.

"Seven." The blonde slid into his tunic, buttoning it up before scrunching up his towel to rid it of excess water. With a sloppy throw on his shoulder, the Hylian began to take his leave back into the Lost Woods. "Seven years I've been sealed away with no recollection of the events taking place." Then as quick as he had spoken, did the blonde stalk off into the forest.

Mido yelped, realizing at an alarming rate, that he had no recollection of how to get home. He quickly glanced around and noticed the strange man had left his blue Ocarina. Gaze loosening up at the recurring thought.

"Huh, seven years he says?"


	2. Returning For A Nap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is really ancient work, might have to dust off some notepads to find its original plot because I'm unsure of what I was even writing back when I wrote this. So more chaos I suppose. But I doubt anyone's really reading this.

The next morning, Mido took it upon himself to properly return the man's Ocarina. He knew that the blonde would be perched in that treehouse that he took shelter in. Although Mido had offered him plenty of other options, including staying at his own home, the Hylian had rejected them all and stuck to the odd makeshift of a home. With a groan, he began up the ladder. He never expected for these feelings to develop. Hadn't he only had eyes for Saria? How was another man able to make him fall so hard? He hadn't told anyone, but maybe it was bluntly obvious.

Mido finally climbed up onto the wooden porch and peered at the navy blue curtain that separated him and the Hylian. "Hey, you awake? You forgot your flute." The Kokiri asked, lightly pressing his fingers against the cloth. A light groan emitted from the home and a shuffling sound played before quieting to be still. "Uh." The orange head frowned, lightly pushing past the curtain. "I'm coming in." With another groan for a response.

The home had not been touched, small wooden kitchen to the side. A table on the opposite side with a small bed in the middle. Mido felt heat rise into his cheeks as he eyed the blonde sleeping. The sun seemed to emit from the window above the bed and shine on him. With careful quiet steps, Mido walked up to the Hylian. "Y-you forgot your Ocarina." A nervous gulp as the blonde shifted, head digging itself further into his pillow.

"N-Navi, stop. I'm trying to sleep." He whined as if irritated. Mido slowly grabbed the Ocarina that resided on his belt and slowly lurked even closer to the blonde. He wasn't sure who Navi was, but he infered that whoever it was annoyed him.

He glanced down at the small flute in his hand, small triangle symbol stained into the mouth piece. He glanced around the small room, noticing the table rather piled high with equipment. Swords, shields, bags of sharp items that threatened to rip through the pouches along with a large book. Frowning, the orange head Kokiri found his eyes staring at the large bed. He needed to give this back, and he knew how much the Hylian adored the item. The blonde always spoke of its great importance, surely he'd like to wake with it.

The Kokiri nervously gulped as he placed a knee on the bed, leaning over the blondes body to softly place the blue Ocarina on the mattress beside the Hylian. Just as his fingers lifted, and he took a moment to relish in the fact that his knee was skimming against the hero's back; did a small bug whack him over the head, causing him to unsteadily tremble. What sounded like a high battle cry from the pest as he was bumped on the head again and his knee slipped from under him. His body pivoted down and slammed harshly against the heros, gaining a groan as the Hylian was stirred from his dream abruptly. Mido attempted to pull himself off the blonde, face rather flustered. But the pesky bug kept smacking him and he had to cover his head with his hands.

"Master, he was about to do something to you!" The pest shrieked, slamming against Mido's hands. The Kokiri cried out, hands bruising and turning red.

"Huh?" The blonde slowly blinked awake, looking blankly at the Kokiri who was laying on his lap. Then had he noticed his fairy was bashing against him. "Navi, quit that out!" He quickly shuffled Mido off him, while also managing to catch the fairy in his hands. The Kokiri landed to the floor with a thud, groaning at the whiplash. "Gee Navi, do you even now what he was about to do?" He spoke into his clasped hands. The fairy cried out to be released.

"No! But he was standing over you! Master let go of me now!" Navi cried out, struggling against her prison. The blonde gave out a sigh, loosening up his grip.

"As long as you don't hurt him anymore, I'll let you go." The blonde released his fairy, who hovered over him; lightly smacking his one head of hair.

With a grunt of annoyance, Navi floated off. "You didn't have to hold me." She muttered.

Mido giving off his own groan as he slowly sat up, rubbing against his sore head. "And you, Mido. What were you doing?" The Kokiri sorely rubbed his head, turning to look at the blonde with a dazed expression.

"You," he hesitated, wincing at the bump that had formed on his head. His mind felt fuzzy and he couldn't differentiate between his thoughts. Not particularly sure whether he should be more surprised at the Hylian owning a fairy, or that the fairy had hit him so hard. While he tried to respond, his brain urged to pry. "The fairy hit me-. With- with the flute, I climbed. The skull kid. I am." His head teetered and looked like it was about to fall off his shoulders. "Seven years, I remember. The- the fairy was." He grimaced, grabbing at his head once more. It was like he was voicing his thoughts that started and stopped with no beginning and no end.

"Mido, are you alright? You're not making any sense." The blonde asked, standing off his bed to hover over the Kokiri. The boy was clutching his pounding head, groaning as things stirred vividly in his mind.

Mido gulped, slowly looking at the worried expression of the blonde. The Hylian slowly lowered down to his eye level, a tight frown on his lips. "Head hurts." He spoke and the blonde nodded, slowly reaching out his hand to touch the boy's injured head. The puffy bump stuck out like a sore thumb and Mido cringed away from his touch. The Hylian recoiled his hands at the sight of hurting the Kokiri, the edge of his frown drooping even more so.

"Sorry, can you see clearly? Are you feeling nauseous or about to pass out?" The blonde asked, placing his hands on his lap as he took in the small form of Mido. The Kokiri was usually tough, but a strong swing from Navi could probably knock someone out. And she had the intent of doing a bit more damage.

'Way to go, make him look down on you after being rudely awakened!' Mido bit his trembling lip, attempting to find the bearings to stand. "No, I-I'm fine." The Kokiri lied. He didn't want to tell the Hylian the actual pain he was going through. For everything he had asked about he was currently experiencing. His sight wavered and he blinked away the momentary blackout. Once he held a firm grip on the floor, he slowly stood himself up. 

"Mido, you're not fine. Don't push yourself if you're not feeling well. I insist you sit down." The blonde advised, standing up to confront the Kokiri. Mido shook his head again, mentally wincing at the pain he had caused with the sudden movement.

"I'm fine, really." He groaned, shuffling his foot to begin walking. However his body weight lurched forward and he was sent to the floor. Luckily just before he could slam face first into the floor, the Hylian had caught his waist.

With a startled yelp, the Kokiri was lifted off the ground and placed on the bed. Mido didn't have the energy to fight him nor did he actually want to struggle. "No, you are not alright. Don't lie to me Mido. Lay down and I'll be back with some medicine." The blonde blurry spot in his periphery ordered and Mido complied, laying down onto the warm bed that the man had just been sleeping on.

His eyes fluttered closed as he burrowed his head into the pillow that smelled rather nice. Gripping the blanket and curling into a tight ball, he hadn't realized he was rather exhausted. A warm hand met his forehead and his eyes slowly blinked open. Only to see the blonde sitting before him, smiling warmly down at him.

"So you were tired then?" He asked, slowly drawing his hand away to rest on his lap. The villager frowned, his exhaustion wavering away suddenly. Mido opened his mouth to ask, but the Hylian quickly butted back in. "Are you not sleeping enough? Thanks for returning the Ocarina, really, but you fell asleep on my bed for three hours." The Kokiri expected a scowl for doing such and he sat up to get out of the bed, but an arm against his chest stopped him.

"I wasn't saying that as a bad thing." The blonde chuckled, watching the smaller boy's face contort into confusion. "I was just saying it was unexpected, that's all. If you deprived yourself of sleep simply to return my flute as soon as possible, next time I advise you to not worry about it. Despite this particular Ocarina being irreplaceable, I'd still rather lose the flute than a friend."

The boy smiled an 'okay', nodding his head to agree with the Hylian. "What's so particularly special about this Ocarina? It just has a strange symbol while being blue." Mido eyed the flute the blonde held firmly in his grasp.

"This Ocarina was given to me by my Princess. It has the ability to change and alter time. But it is never to be used for practical uses; only when it is absolutely needed." The hero looked down at the small flute. "It is also part of why I have lost seven years of my life." A frown formed on his face. 

Mido's hand reached out and rested on top of the blue flute. "If it can alter time, why not just go back seven years and relive it? Surely it is possible." The Kokiri hoped to see the Hylian smile, and earned a light laugh from him instead.

"Yes, I suppose I could easily. But that shall wait until Ganondorf is defeated. Can't have him running around present time." The blonde rubbed the Triforce symbol that was carved in the mouth piece. With a smile, he got up and placed the flute in a trunk. He easily closed it with a loud thunk and walked up to the kitchen.

Mido gasped, snapping his head towards the blonde. "You mean to say this evil man, Ganondorf, is still roaming around the world? I thought you defeated him?" The orange head nearly cried out in some panicked noise that could've been classified as a yelp or scream depending on how you interpreted it.

The blonde nodded, turning his attention to a cabinet. "Yeah, I think you confused Ganondorf with Phantom Ganon. They are different, believe me." The man pulled out a small parcel wrapped in leaves. The aquamarine colored leaves that covered the inside were cool to the touch. He easily opened it to reveal some slender pieces and a pair of cuccoo legs. "But I wouldnt worry about him. I've already got the entire thing planned out." Laying the package completely open to let the frozen food defrost, did the blonde shuffle back to the pantry-cabinet and pull out two hand-sized fruits.

He threw one of the red plump fruits at Mido who stumbled and caught it, while he took a bite out of his own. The Hylian seated himself on a wooden chair, indulging in the apple-like fruit. Mido curiously turned it over in his hands before slowly taking a small nibble from it. Sweet flavors exploded in his mouth and he gasped, jaw dropping in sheer surprise. This had to be the sweetest and overall best fruit he had ever eaten, but the food had yet to be identified in his book.

"Hey, what are these?" Mido nearly shouted, taking another eager bite and realizing the second taste had been better than the first.

"Huh?" The blonde glanced at the Kokiri before back at the fruit in his own palm. "Well to be completely honest, I don't know it's name, but it can only be grown in Zorran territory." The Hylian treated himself to take another bite of the fruit. "The Zorran are like fish people, with scales and fins."

"Oh yeah! I remember! And that's where you were nearly married to Ruto?" Mido chuckled, wiping at fake tears. He normally would've been upset if he had heard the blonde had his eyes for others. But the position was forced and the Hylian stated he had broken it to her that he wasn't going to marry her.

With a sigh, shaking his head in dismissal, the hero leaned back in his wooden seat. "Yeah, she kept nagging me to reconsider. Besides I was like 10 then and I think it would've been weird. I mean, I had only known her for three days. That's not exactly a lot of time to decide you want to marry them."

The Kokiri nearly spit out the chunk of mystery fruit in his mouth, face contorting to somewhat horror. The Hylian in front of him had only visited and spoke on rare occasions. The time they actually conversed for could probably equal to that or less than three full days. "Y-yeah, that's not enough time to be thinking about marrying some- some guy." The Kokiri let his hand fall onto the bed, lightly caressing his lip. "Right?"

The blonde hadn't noticed the change, standing back up to attend to the cabinet of food. "Well, I suppose not really. I've been told when someone's right for you, you just know, and I don't think I had a connection like that with Ruto. Besides, she's a princess-to-be-queen and I don't think I really want to be too involved with royalty, nevertheless become a king." The blonde lightly chuckled, almost like teasing Mido on purpose with the exact same light flutter of noise.

The Kokiri's thoughts immediately sharpened, and his head almost immediately snapped towards the Hylian. He swallowed the lump in his throat, could he ask that? He already thought the blonde loved her, could this mean he did not actually. Might the blonde be able to love him back?

"Um, don't you like, like the Princess Zelda?" Mido nervously asked, body tensing up as he tried to smile and pretend he wasn't tense. With another fluttering chuckle that could practically trump the sound of his Ocarina, the blonde turned to Mido with a smile.

"Well sure, I do like the princess. Probably more than anyone in Hyrule. But that's because I look up to her. She's smart and brave; took over Hyrule by herself when her father was killed. Besides not knowing whether she's dead or alive right now does not matter to me because we are friends. I don't see Zelda in a romantic fashion, for she is the princess and I enjoy being just her knight." The blonde turned back to the cabinet to rummage through his food supply.

Mido nodded, but the blonde hadn't seen it. "W-well thanks for the nap, but I should be heading out now for my daily duties." With a stretch of his arms and legs, the Kokiri hopped off the bed and began towards the exit. Being the village leader and all, he had many jobs to attend to.

"Alright Mido, see you around." The blonde already seemed to be half submerged into the small wooden cabinet when the villagers words hit him. "Ah! Mido wait!" He quickly sprang off the floor and opened the curtain to reveal the Kokiri eyeing him curiously.

"Ah, yes? What is it?" Mido asked, nervous smile fiddling with his lips. The blonde smiled, scratching at his forehead.

"While you were asleep, I kind of did all your daily chores. Figured you needed the break."

Before Mido could let the other elaborate, the Kokiri turned around to begin down the ladder. No thanking him or questioning him took place. The villager simply left without further word.

To say the least, he was embarrassed.


	3. Carrying Cargo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates currently in development.

The next day, Mido did not speak to anyone. He remembered yesterday so clearly, marching home with his cheeks flustered, greeting Fado who teased him about admiring some girl and prying to know who. The male Kokiri otherwise ignored her and went straight to lay in his own bed. The bed that wasn't as comfortable, the bed that didn't smell good, would never feel the same. Now he felt like he was lying on a pile of logs. It would never be the same. 

But he had no responsibilities for the day, and while he was overjoyed that the hero had taken them from his shoulders, he had not wanted to trouble him.

He ate a small portion of fish that Fado had brought and went to bed. Left tossing and turning in a bed he no longer found comfort in. The next morning he remained stationed in bed. His duties today were nothing but incoherent thoughts to him. He would get up and do them eventually, but they didn't need to exist in his thoughts right now.

When the blonde haired Kokiri woman couldn't stand the absence of Mido, did she begin to pester and knock on the other's door. "Mido~! We could use your help with moving all this equipment~!" Fado nearly sang out. Mido groaned, throwing a spare pillow at the door that landed against the wood with a soft thud.

Before the male villager could reply, the voice that stormed up the butterflies in his stomach chided in.

"Fado, let him sleep. Can you grab that?" The sweet voice that played like a song in Mido's head asked. 

"Sure~." She responded sharply. With new rebound energy, the village leader jumped out of bed, dressing in his tunic, before rushing out of his home.

"No! No! I can help!" He smiled at the Hylian who paused moving a large wooden crate. The blonde smiled at the smaller man and nodded.

"If you insist. You can go grab a few crates from the storeroom." The blonde motioned to the small shop on top of the hill, that he noticed Fado was now entering. "You can leave the big crates to me, just small stuff will be fine." With a quick eager nod, Mido ran off to the shop. 

Upon entering the small room and noticing it was filled with large crates, and only a few small boxes, did the Kokiri eye and ponder whether he could lift a crate. Of course, he could certainly lift one of them easily, no doubt in mind. Perhaps he should indeed leave it for the Hylian though. The blonde did ask for him to only try and lift the small objects. No, he would help just as the hero had done with his chores.

Just as he stepped up to a crate, arms hardly fitting around it's massive perimeter, did Mido realize he could not actually lift the crate. With another exert of energy, did the Kokiri realize he could not only not lift the crate, but that it refused to budge at all. With an exasperated sigh, Mido quickly scooped up as many small boxes as he could manage before heading out of the storeroom. He caught sight of the blonde and scurried over to him.

"Ah!" The Hylian gasped in somewhat surprise of the tower of boxes. "Mido, you need help?" He asked, but the Kokiri shook his head, boxes shaking in a similar manner.

"No, I'm fine thanks. Just wondering, where am I taking all this stuff?" The orange head asked, gaining an 'oh yeah' from the blonde.

With a lighthearted chuckle, the Hylian pointed towards a small passageway in the surrounding forest. "In the very first clearing of the Lost Woods." Another eager nod from Mido who hurried off to drop the load and go back for more.

Mido paused, just as he placed down the boxes onto a large wooden crate. The clearing was rather large, sporting a small rock fire pit in the middle. Small unlit lanterns hung around in a chain of vines, lightly swaying in the wind. Several logs had already been placed down for seats, while several other villagers attempted to hang up more lanterns.

Saria caught his eye, the Kokiri woman seated on a log, watching everyone with a happy swing to her feet. His heart had swayed from her, turning to the Hylian. For she believed she would find the fairyless one day, and they would get married. Live on with the other with no possible persuasion to forget him. But Mido would make sure to give that boy a piece of his mind. He would pay for killing the Great Deku Tree. And for leaving so single minded. No explanation, just leaving. Whatever business that boy had the nerve to find more important than his own village would have to be to save Kokiri, for Mido couldn't find it in his heart to forgive him if it wasn't for that purpose. No one leaves for seven years with no sign of ever returning. What the nerve he had!

"Mido? Hey Mido! Morning!" Saria called out in a voice that the village leader no longer felt the need to fondle over.

With a smile to greet her back, did Mido near her. "Morning to you too Saria. What're you doing here?" He asked curiously, earning a light laugh from the cheeky female. Easily reminded why she had invaded his mind so often before.

"I wanted to get a view of the festival while we are setting up for it. Would you like to join me?" Saria asked, gently patting the wood beside her. Mido just shook his head.

"No, not right now. I'm supposed to be helping carry supplies." The man agreed with himself, walking back towards the village.

"Very well then, see you later." The woman said her farewell, just as the leader left. 

Several hours passed of carrying boxes to the small festive area. Mido even volunteered to help the Hylian with a crate, and while the blonde already knew he could easily carry it the rest of the way, he let the Kokiri build his ego. Lifting the entire box and making Mido feel like he was actually helping, did the two finally reach the clearing once more and drop off the crate. His ego however fluttered away when the box was dropped on his foot and his show of strength ceased to exist. The blonde apologizing the whole time as he pulled off the box quickly. Mido was treated with a visit to the wise brothers.

The festival was finally finished with preparation, and while Mido was assisted by the larger of brothers and seated on a log, did the three brothers begin speaking about something. The older Kokiri paid them no mind, watching as the blonde shuffled onto a stage with someone hiding behind his back.

The Hylian closed his eyes, hands sliding down his body to perform some kind of dance. He sidestepped, hands meeting into a clap before he fell to the other side and clapped again. The figure behind him shuffled and jumped up, revealing but a small blur of brown. The small figure landed on the stage in front of the Hylian, eyes glinting with a red glare. The dark cape shuffled and was thrown off the figure to reveal a skull kid with a white beastly mask on. Mido gasped, almost immediately recognizing the mask he had carved with his own two hands.

"This is the beginning of the second equinox, and Kokiri village shall thrive once more!" The skull kid smiled, clapping his hands in sync with the blonde behind him. Several bright glints of blue rose in the sky and swam into the clearing, lighting the unlit lanterns with undefined speed and accuracy.

Mido kept his gaze trained on the blonde however, positive the show was only going to begin. And he was right. The Hylian managed to drain him of his own thoughts and keep him watching as he stretched out his limbs, dancing rather gracefully. His arms shot out, then pushed to the side. The bright lights now identified as fairies began to spin in a tornado around the hero, encircling him before completely obscuring him from the other's view. With a quick shout from a leading fairy that sounded like a squeak, they scattered. But the Hylian in the epicenter was gone.

One of the brothers behind him gasped and pressed an elbow against his back, but Mido ignored them as he continued cautiously searching for the blonde. The crowd had gone up into pandemonium, looking around to locate the blonde before skull kid stomped to catch the wandering attention. He grinned, snapping a finger as all the lanterns went out. "Thank you all for attending, we shall shortly continue this program later." The small forest creature signed off, lights returning as he jumped off the stage to near Mido. The Kokiri gulped, realizing the creature was walking towards him. With a groan, he turned to the brother still leaning on him.

"Do you mind-!" He paused, locking eyes with azure. 

"Took you long enough." One of the brothers in his side periphery commented. Mido was intensely realizing the Hylian was lying against him. Just then, the blonde stood up to face Mido. Although he towered him even more so now that he was seated.

The blonde gave off a light chuckle before taking a seat beside the orange-headed Kokiri. "So, what did you think of that opening. Pretty cool dance, right?" Mido nodded swiftly.

"It was amazing. Especially when you just disappeared." Mido commented, earning a nervous smile from the Hylian.

"Really? Well thanks. It took a lot of tries, but I eventually got it. It's a traditional fairy dance if you ever want to learn it. You might be able to learn it if you ask your fairy." The blonde stated, just as the skull kid finally made his way over to the group.

"Good job Li-, uh, li-likewise you've amazed me once more. Who knew you'd perform a sacred dance like that." Skull kid clapped, hardly anyone noticing his slip of the tongue.

The Hylian nervously swallowed a lump in his throat, reminding himself he wanted to remain inconspicuous. "Y-yeah. Thanks. I'm just glad you still decided to show up even though you were patrolling tonight."

"Well Skull boy said he had it covered so I let him take it alone. He insisted I visit the village soon anyway. I suppose now was better than never." While Skull kid and the blonde chatted, something stirred briskly in the woods.

"The hero of time has been spotted sir, shall I move in to try and capture him?"

"No, hold your location. I want to see him with my own eyes once more. After so long, I will face him again. And I will not fail."

~~

Night had already fallen on Kokiri, Mido and the Hylian quickly cleaning up the aftermath. Skull kid was summoned by Skull boy, as well as the villagers being told to rest up by their leader. Just as the last box was tucked away by the blonde, did the pair lock up the storeroom and begin back home. The blonde offering to help balance Mido, but the other had refused, claiming he could endure.

"Are you sure you should even be walking on it? I mean I did just watch you carry a bunch of boxes but you look overly exhausted." The blonde pried, but the Kokiri waved him off.

"Really, I'm fine. You worry too much." The blonde sighed, turning his head away to look around at the village. 

"I suppose I do worry a bit much, huh? Sorry. I've just been uneasy." The blonde closed his eyes, steering his head straight forward. "Has anyone ever constantly dwindled in your mind? Like someone you once knew that just disappeared without an explanation. And you don't know whether they are dead or alive. They could be laying dead somewhere, but they might also be fine and your imagination is just twisting your thoughts horribly."

A heavy air settled between the two, and Mido stopped walking, taking in a minute to absorb the look of grass under him. "You- you're thinking about Zelda again, huh?" The Kokiri asked, pushing away thoughts of the annoying buzzing fairyless boy.

But the blonde shook his head to Mido's surprise. "No, I was just curious about whether you've felt like that or not."

With a hum of thought, Mido looked up at the Hylian. "Well, I suppose I have once experienced something similar. About a boy who used to live in this village." Those thoughts of him twisted in his gut, filling him with anger. His face fumed up, the blonde noticed.

"He disappeared without a trace and hasn't spoken to you for a very long time. That's it, right?" The hero asked, gaining a nod from Mido.

"That's right, he just left one day. But not only did he leave, but he killed the Great Deku Tree!" The anger seemed to spew out, and only then did Mido realize the blonde was seeming hurt by his words.

With a quick nod, the blonde turned to the Kokiri. "I'm sure he's sorry about it, but are you sure he killed the tree?" He asked, lips pulled into a somber frown.

"Uh, well he was the last one to enter the tree. He must've killed it." The Kokiri stated, but sounded very unsure.

"And you'd never forgive him? Even if it wasn't his fault?" The blonde pried once more, unfazing the Great Mido however.

"That doesn't make up for him leaving. He didn't even tell Saria, and that girl is head over heels for him. He-." Mido let out a frustrated sigh, feeling his body begin to settle down. "After he left, the village seemed dead. Without the Great Deku Tree, we truly believed something would invade the village and kill us all. He was the closest thing to a warrior we had. When I find him..."

"Gee, thanks." The blonde muttered, but not pulling the Kokiri from his daydream. "Well we should be heading home then. All that work made me tired." 

Mido nodded in agreement, "probably." He spoke, realizing he was still exhausted. He rubbed at his tired eyes, but he felt even more compelled to sleep.

"Hey-, woah! You should probably sleep in a bed, not while walking." The blonde nervously laughed, placing a hand on his shoulder to steady him. Mido slowly blinked a bit of exhaustion away to realize he had nearly fallen asleep while walking home.

"Yeah, you're right. Sorry, really tired." The Kokiri tried his best to fight off the lurking darkness, but he was already feeling rather numb. Maybe if he just closed his eyes for a second. And he slammed into the ground, face colliding with grass with a low groan.

The Hylian gasped, unlike Mido's initial reaction of laughter. He felt his body turned over, warm liquid drizzling across his face. "M-Mido, you just broke your nose!" He exclaimed, leaning down to sit in the grass beside the Kokiri. "I thought you could walk fine. What did I say about overworking yourself?" The blonde asked, sighing. He slowly leaned forward and hitched his arm around Mido's waist. Before the Kokiri could complain, he was lifted gingerly up, allowing his legs to wrap loosely around the Hylian's midsection. His face unconsciously tucked itself in the nape of the others neck, his eyes fluttering closed. He was so tired, resisting wasn't an option. Taking in a small scent of the hero, did exhaustion claim him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so the tale of chaos continues...


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Mido awoke with a buzzed head and no recollection of last night's events. He winced, head rolling over to further burrow itself into the pillow he caressed in his arms.

He took in a breath, feeling the slow stress in his lungs as eyes lazily opened. Cerulean glancing around at his different surroundings. The room had a much more spacious interior than his home, and Mido had to jolt up from the bed to realize where he was. His instincts wanted him to jump up and out of the treehouse as fast as possible. But he knew that would be unwise and he should examine the situation before he could do that just yet.

With a stifled yawn that surprised him, he gazed around the house with tired eyes, legs hovering off the rim of the bed. He slowly inched onto the edge of the mattress, letting his feet absorb the feeling of smooth wood underneath them. Mido lazily stretched his back, pondering mildly how he had gotten here and how long he had been out. He was reminded of his foot's injury when he had tried to stand and went back to sitting dormant.

"Hello?" He called out, his voice raspy and quiet. The Kokiri lightly cleared his throat, before trying again. "Anyone home?" There was no response, instead an unsettling eerie silence filled the treehouse.

"Odd." Mido commented mindlessly, glancing around the room again. No one seemed to be here. The Kokiri tried to stand again, wobbling a bit on the heel of his foot. His weight evened out quickly though, and soon the boy was standing at a slant. He was trying to keep most of his weight on his not-so-injured foot.

Grip like steel on the wall, Mido began to journey around the small treehouse. Curiously, most of the equipment and bags on the table were gone. But there was no sign of robbery, and even so, who would steal in this village? The villager made his slow descent out of the treehouse, standing on to the porch. The breeze from the landing was a bit stronger, and he had to hold onto the wooden railing to ensure he wouldn't fly off the platform. Mido gulped, looking down at the ground. It was quite a fall if he were to slip.

He breathed out, realizing he was stressing over nothing. Mido grabbed the ladder's sides and carefully manuevered to climb down it. Okay, he could do this. Easy-peasy. One leg down, then the next. Mido yelped, jumping back up to the first bar. Why did his foot have to hurt so much? He sighed, climbing back up the ladder. There was no way he could possibly climb down that in his condition. Mido groaned in frustration, seating himself on the edge of the platform. His legs swung off the wooden porch. What was he to do now?

"Mido~? Mid~o?" Fado called and the Kokiri in question nearly fell off the porch. The blonde girl was approaching, and she seemed to be very eccentric. "Mido, what are you doing up there~?" The blonde Kokiri called from down on the ground. Maybe she could be of assistance. 

He stood up, grabbing the railing for support. "Fado, Fado, Fado." He hummed out, smiling down at her. "Where can I find him?" Mido asked, leaning onto the railing once his foot started to bug him.

Fado was looking at him a little oddly, not quite understanding the question. But after a moment it clicked and she hummed out. "Oh~. You mean the blonde hero~?" Her tone was a bit mysterious to the male Kokiri, but he did his best to disregard it.

"Yeah, where can I find him?" He was starting to get a little perturbed with Fado who was hesitating a lot in her responses and he didn't like the way she was talking.

The blonde Kokiri was impossible to read. Did she know something he did not? "He went out~." She was always such a suspicious character. Mido couldn't quite come to understand her ways. Did she want to seem suspicious or was she doing it on accident?

"Wh- When's he getting back?" He asked, this time frowning. How was he going to get down?

Fado rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Who knows~? Maybe tomorrow, maybe next week~. He did not say." She comments, eyeing Mido curiously. "But I'm sure he'll be back soon so don't worry too much~!" She waved her hand as a farewell before skipping away, humming some tune Mido's sure he's heard before but can't recognize.

That wasn't helpful, however, and he's still stuck up on the Hylian's porch.

The next visitor is one of the Know-It-All Brothers. This brother is skinny with brown, unruly hair. His eyes are covered by bunches of bangs. "Hey, Mido! What're you doing all the way up there?" The brother ponders, looking up at Mido. The orange-head had been dozing off against the railing when the Brother's call had nearly knocked him over. He gripped the railing, depending on it not to give way and let him fall. "Mido!" The other Kokiri called again.

Mido whipped his head towards him, pulling himself back onto the porch. He sat down, glaring at the triplet. "What?!" He snipped, frustrated.

The brunet sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, placing his other hand on his hip. "If this is a bad time for you, I'll come back later."

With that, he turned and walked away, keeping his head low and acting as if he had been scolded. No help from him either.

Mido sighed, wanting nothing more than to crawl into his bed and sleep. But he couldn't, not when his foot hissed at him every time he stepped down with it. He could slide down the ladder, but he'd probably end up with bleeding palms and a sore bottom. He didn't need anymore injuries. He stood, pressing his hands onto his back, arching it. Mido grabbed the railing again, making his slow descent back inside. There was no point in sitting outside all day. 

Coming back inside the treehouse, he looked around. Something to pass the time perhaps. Anything at all. There was the bed he could rest on, but he didn't feel tired so scratch that. There was food in bowls on the table, but upon closer inspection it was rotting so no to that as well. Finally his blue eyes met a large book resting on the table. It seemed to have gravity, pulling his attention solely onto it. Such an ordinary book with an odd magnetic pull.

Mido stumbled over to it, plopping himself down on the wooden stump fixated to be a seat. Then he took his time examining the 'ordinary' book. It had a brown cover, most likely made of deku tree. Gingerly, he opened the cover to reveal the first page. Written sloppily in ink, was: "The Legend of-" the next few words were sloppy and smudged, most likely from aging. Then it continued a little off with: "Zelda." And finally at the bottom of the page was written equally as messy: "Link."

The book before Mido belonged to Link, he concurred. Where was that boy now? Did he feel bad for killing their guardian Great Deku tree? Did he even remember them? Angrily, he slammed the book shut. Stupid fairyless boy favored by their Great Deku Tree. Look where that got him. The tree was dead now, because Link murdered him.

Mido pounded a fist down on the table, wiping away the forming of tears. Stupid Link. Stupid tree. Stupid forest. He covered his face, sobbing out. Why did he do it? There was a lot of things nobody could answer for Mido. So his anger, anguish and mourning pent up collectively. Threatening to overcome him with every breath. 

Wiping away his tears, feeling his face burning up, Mido moved back to the book. He had to know. And this book, what started off looking so ordinary that if it was on a bookshelf he wouldn't have even noticed; could answer it all. He could sense it held them. Flipping through the parchment, he found himself at the second page. The Kokiri inhaled a breath, then released it, anticipating himself for what was to come.

The page had few words. He muttered them mindlessly under his breath. "Today a fairy woke me up and said I was to meet with the Great Deku Tree. She's super helpful. Anyway, when we went to go see the tree: Mido, the leader of our village, stopped me and told me I needed a sword and shield." The orange-headed Kokiri paused, recalling the brief exchange. He'd called him weak for not bringing any equipment to defend himself. Without further ado, Mido continued. "Using my life-savings, I purchased a deku shield from the town shop. Then I found the Kokiri sword with the fairies help and headed back to the tree. When we got there, the Deku Tree informed us he was dying. An evil man placed a curse on him." Mido's breath hitched in his throat. A curse? Tentatively, he read on. "He wanted me to find the bug that had infiltrated him and kill it."

The next page continued on. "I agreed and entered his mouth. I made my way through passages and doors, reaching a large room at last. I defeated the bug, and then teleported in front of the Deku Tree. He told us we defeated 'Queen Gohma', the pest that had infected him. But it was too late anyway and he would die soon. He explained to us about the evil man that had cursed him, seeking the prized Kokiri Emerald. He told me to hold onto it, then instructed the fairy to watch over me. He passed away just like that. The fairy told me to turn away, to not look back. She said, "We can't mourn, or else his efforts would be in vain." I'm sorry Great Deku Tree. I wish I could have prevented your death. I'm sorry Mido too. You think I killed the Deku Tree, but I swear I didn't. I was trying to help him." It ended, and Mido's eyes widened. No, that couldn't be right. Hadn't Link killed the tree? What?!

That didn't settle right. Didn't Link kill him? Didn't he?! Mido pushed the book away, yelling out in frustration. It was a lie; a ruse. Link just wrote it, it didn't mean a thing. But, maybe he was telling the truth? No. No, no, no. It was definitely a lie. Why couldn't he get that? It was all a lie! Link never was one of them. He wasn't a Kokiri. He was just a backstabbing traitor who was waiting for the Deku Tree to like him before he killed him.

That sounded like a pure monster. That description, that depiction of a madman: wasn't Link. Link was kind, not aggressive or mean. He cared about everyone, even more than himself. Link was also an extremely courageous boy who'd step between anyone and a monster to protect them from harm. He knew from raising the blonde when he was an infant. He never minded getting hurt, even when it was a major injury, he was always more concerned for others. Never noticing his own self. Now more than ever, Mido knew for certain: Link did not kill the Great Deku Tree.

He hated Link so much for killing their guardian and then leaving. Mido understood now. The blonde boy had tried to keep the Deku Tree alive, and followed his dying wish of heading out of the forest. 

That made Mido the jerk. The jerk who blindly misplaced his anger. 

He laid his head down, face lying sideways on the table. He was the stupid jerk who messed up by getting angry at his blonde friend. No, Link isn't his friend. Mido, to Link, is probably just some long forgotten memory. He's alive. Out there somewhere, he knows as much. Where, he has no clue. 

Mido glances up at the book, then decides to shut it. No point in continuing. He still needs to process all this new information. Begrudgingly, he stands, waddles over to the bed and lays down. He's tired, and all his crying hasn't been helping. He doesn't cry often, almost never, but on the rare occasions he does it's extremely exhausting. He hums out the song the Hylian had been playing on his Ocarina, falling asleep to his own singing.

A few hours passed and he wakes to somebody soothingly stroking his face. Mido's eyes startle open and he jolts up. The figure chuckles, placing their hand down on the mattress. "Sorry Mido, I thought you had a fever. Are you feeling any better?"

His vision can only recognize the blonde hair, and for just a moment, it's Link smiling down at him. "Um, I-. Li-. Is it?" He stutters out, feeling a dark blush cover his face. The feeling somewhat fades, but he can't unsee their resemblance. The Hylian looks like Link. And he's mildly disturbed by the thought.

Link -no, it's not him. Stop comparing them- gives him a questioning look. "Mido? Something wrong? Your face is really red."

The Kokiri shakes his head, covering his face with the blanket. "I'm fine! Just- just embarrassed." He mutters into the cloth, hoping if he covers himself entirely then he'll disappear.

The Hylian, so similar to Link that it hurts, chuckles at his reaction. "I didn't mean to embarrass you. Sorry." The weight of the hero shuffles closer. "You going to be okay?"

"Y-yeah." Mido assures, burrowing himself further under the blanket. The hero nods, giving the Kokiri under the blanket and pat on his head.

"I'm going to make some dinner, hungry?" He gets up, heading to his kitchen. 

Mido takes the blanket off, slowly peering at the back of Link's look-alike. "Yes, very." His shoulders are moving up and down, tending to something.

The Hylian finishes quickly, then rummages through his satchel. He pulls out a small red crystal. Mido watches him hold up his palm, and witnesses in amazement as his hand lights ablaze. "Your hand!" He shouts out in sheer surprise, making the blonde turn to look at him.

"Cool, right?" He smiles, then turns back to whatever he needed the fire for. After he's done, he pockets the stone and the flame in his palm disappears. The Hylian then gets out dishes and silverware. Mido is given a plate of some tan meat and a variety of berries.

He pokes the meat, gaining a chuckle from the seated Hylian across from him. "Never had Cuccoo before?" He asks, and Mido shakes his head. "It's good, try it." The blonde encourages, and the Kokiri agrees he will. 

It's good. Really good. "This is good!" He mutters out through the food stuffed in his mouth.

The Hylian nods, swallowing some food. "Great, then getting attacked by a flock of them hasn't gone to waste."

Mido looks at the hero in shock, choking on the food. "You were attacked?" 

The Hylain laughs, rubbing his head sheepishly. "Oh, it's nothing. They hurt to get scratched by, but they're a little dull and you can hide from them by running inside." 

Mido nods, clearing his throat. Slowly, he begins eating again, deciding not to press.

They finish supper and the blonde collects the dishes. He begins cleaning while Mido stays in bed, lost in thought. It isn't him, it can't be. He should settle this inner turmoil here and now. But, he doesn't want to either. The blonde -the one that is not Link- might think he's weird. What's his name anyway? Would it be rude to ask this far down the line? They are friends, as far as Mido can tell. Even if he hasn't a clue what his name is.

"It's getting late, do you think you can walk or should I carry you?" He's asked out of the blue, and Mido tenses up. No, he needs to know.

He let's out a nervous hum, slouching a little. "Can-. I-. No, what I mean is- um?"

The blonde places the plate down, looking over at Mido. "You didn't hit your head again, did you?"

The Kokiri covered his face, in case he started blushing randomly. "I- IdontthinkIcanwalkbutIdontwanttotroubleyou!" Mido quickly muttered out, trying to curl in on himself. The Hylian gasped, looking partially back at his dishes. He then looked at Mido.

"Well, I guess you could stay. But I'll be leaving in the morning again. Is that alright?" He asked again. Mido perked up, giving no haste in nodding in response. The hero smiled, turning back to his dishes. "It's settled then. Feel free to sleep, I'm going to work on some things before I turn in too."

The Kokiri leader eased himself down on the bed, climbing under the blanket. This was part of his plan of finding their differences, he told himself. Mido released a breath, lying his head down. He easily fell asleep.

Being asleep disoriented how much time had passed, but eventually an enchanting noise woke him up. Mido peered forward, watching a green light encase the blonde Hylian. It swirled around him, before shooting out and being absorbed by the same book he had been reading early. What was he doing to Link's book? It slammed closed and the Hylian released a breath, giving the book a light pat. Mido watched carefully as the taller man moved over to the torch and blew it out. He closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep. A weight pressed into the mattress beside him, jostling the bed as they removed their boots. The blonde then, as Mido imagined through closed eyelids, lay back on the bed. "Goodnight Mido." The Hylian muttered. 

And just before Mido completely fell asleep, he mindlessly returned the farewell. "Goodnight... Link."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somebody's figuring stuff out


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All of your comments are wonderful! Thank you all so much for reading this story and taking the time to review my work. When I first published this, I was expecting to never pick it up again, but now I'm writing out the ending so I am really glad everyone did comment. Please, if you have some time, share some words about what you think of the story so far.

_It was late evening when Mido's fairy had fluttered into his home with somewhat of a scurry. The villager could tell when she flew smack into the wall upon entering. He turned his head, looking over at her._

_"What's the rush?"_

_She inhaled a large breath, and Mido then had a sudden thought: fairies could breathe. Which only slightly intrigued him._

_"Someone came from the forest!"_

_"An adult?" Mido quickly asked, rushing over to his fairy._

_She bounced up and down, translating to a nod. "A kid too."_

_Mido nodded briefly back, stuffing his pockets with some Deku Nuts (just in case). He made a beeline past his fellow villagers; straight to where his fairy had guided._

_He arrived, Fado somehow now tailing him, realizing they had shown up in the nick of time. A woman was hunched over on the ground, holding some small bundle in her arms. Mido padded up to the woman. She glanced up at him, and he realized tears were streaming down her face. Upon seeing him, a smile spread thinly across her face._

_"My son... take care of my son... in the name of the Deku Tree." She spoke reluctantly, vines of the forest wrapping around her legs. Her arms extended to reveal the small infant wrapped in thick cloth to Mido._

_He took the blonde Hylian reluctantly into his arms, making sure he was elevated. Mido tilted his head, peering down at the small child he held close to him. Fado, still there but oddly silent, gazed at the baby curiously._

"I trust you." _He looked back over to the woman, but she wasn't there anymore. In her place, stood a sprouting sapling._

_He took the young blonde home, saying farewell to the other Kokiri for now, only receiving the most basic of information from the Great Deku Tree. His name was Link, and he was said to contain a great power. Which couldn't have been anymore unhelpful. He took it a little personal, maybe because sometimes when a certain someone wasn't picking the weeds in his yard, he may have become extra nasty a few times. Nothing worthy of punishment._

_Why did he have to take care of the brat? He hadn't a clue on how to care for a small baby..._

The sun rose in Kokiri village, lighting up the small quiet town. Mido woke up, stretching his stiff limbs. A yawn escaped him as he peered around, noticing the lack of a particular blonde Hylian. Again.

A brief test of pacing signified his foot was feeling much better today. Thankfully. He took a seat on the wooden stump, turning to Link's book. What had the Hylian done to it last night? The orange-headed Kokiri opened the cover, then began flipping through the pages. After about six pages of full writing; much, _much_ fancier writing started. Was that the Hylian's writing?

The parchment only had one sentence written on it. Slowly, with baited breath, he read it aloud.

_"One who gains the eye of truth will be able to see what is hidden in the darkness."_

What an odd statement. He then flipped through the rest of pages, looking for some hint of the green magic. The rest of the book was blank. Closing it with a sigh, Mido turned away from the journal. That was kind of a let down. He stood again, looking around the room once more. Nothing of much fascination here. Finally he took his leave. Today he'd have to catch up on what he missed yesterday.

~~

Chores were quickly dealt with, leaving Mido to mope in bed. 

Fado had confronted him earlier, with her infamous grin and voice that he couldn't tell would break out into song one day or not.

"Why'd you stay at Blondie's house, again?~"

He had nearly tripped, holding handfuls of rocks and weeds, freshly picked from his yard. "Huh? I- I was home last night." He remarked, only watching as the blonde haired villager's grin widened. She didn't call him out on his lie, only smiled at him, informing Mido silently that she knew.

There was a knock at the door, breaking him from his thoughts, and Mido sighed, lifting his head off the not-comfortable pillow to peer at the wooden slab. "Yes?" He asked, lacking the motivation to inquire who they were.

"Mido, are you feeling better today? I'd really like to speak with you." The orange headed Kokiri knew the voice immediately. It was one of the Know-It-All Brothers; the brunet that had found him yesterday at the treehouse. He didn't want to talk about that now too, did he?

"Okay," he sighed, sitting up and staring at the wall in front of him. For a moment he just stared at it, before standing and padding over to the door. Mido opened the door, meeting a nervous villager's eyes. He seemed to be unable to look Mido in the eyes, which was dully noted. "Did you need something?"

The brunet stepped back, as if frozen in a trance, just now snapping out of it. "Yes, sir. Yesterday, Saria we- went missing."

A bombardment of questions arose in his throat. He swallowed them down. "Saria went missing?"

The triplet nodded. "Yeah. She wasn't home and we couldn't find her in the Sa- Sacred Meadow."

Where had she gone? Was she kidnapped? If she had been kidnapped, could one of them manage to get her back? Where was he when they desperately needed _him_? The Hylian was currently missing too, but it wasn't likely for the same reasons.

"Where was she last?" Mido asked, becoming frantic. People in Kokiri Village don't just vanish. Not unless she had finally done it... Maybe she wondered off the path, into the unknown, looking for her knight in shining armor.

Link, his brain supplied. Saria had wandered into the Lost Woods, looking for Link. She could never admit he was gone. But he was off saving the world meanwhile they continued to live their idle lives.

For just a moment, a thought occurred to Mido. Maybe Link had forgotten about Kokiri Village. What if he was never coming back? It was possible, yes. He banished the thoughts promptly, needing to focus on the villager's whereabouts.

"Go back and check the Meadow again. Very thoroughly." The orange haired boy ordered, waving off the triplet. The brunet sternly nodded, running off. With him gone, the village leader closed his door and proceeded to sit on the bed.

It had been a decent amount of time before there was another knock at the door. The bang of a fist against wood was much louder this time now that Mido was hyperfocused on the things around him. He padded back over to the door, opening it again. The brunet brother was back, wide eyes hidden behind lengthy bangs.

"I tried to go to the Sacred Meadow, but some monster told me I wasn't allowed to pass. He said only the 'Hero of Time', -or something like that- could enter." He spoke frantically, pausing in between to suck in air.

That was absurd. The Meadow belonged to the Forest, therefore any Kokiri should have access to it. Then again, rules over the land had changed once the Great Deku Tree had perished by... some cause. The brother's message also brought up another question: who was this Hero of Time? Did it have anything to do with Link's prophecy from the Deku Tree? Or maybe it had something to do with the other blonde? Without realizing it, Mido's face became flushed.

"Mido? You okay? You look really red." The triplet asked, peeking at the flushed Kokiri through his hair.

The orange haired villager nodded quickly. "Yeah, yeah." He paused, sucking in a large breath. "I'm going to head out and talk with this monster." 

The brunet nodded, waving a farewell as he headed back to his post.

Mido packed some things into a satchel, slid a deku stick into the side of his tunic, and retrieved his fairy from where she was resting near the deceased Great Deku Tree. She happily fluttered around him, chattering on about something. 

The trip was a little longer than expected, but luckily he had his fairy who tried steering him in the right direction. A couple of times he had doubted her instructions and took his own way, only to get them lost. She, in the end, never got mad at him which would continue to amuse him endlessly.

He knew he had arrived when the ground quaked as a voice spoke.

"No one is allowed to pass!"

There before him was a large Moblin. It was wielding a large hammer, which was slung unceremoniously around it's shoulders. It's teeth jutted out in an under-bite. It was huge in comparison to what Mido had imagined.

He cleared his throat, trying to calm his erratic heart. He would definitely lose a fight against this thing. "My name is Mido, leader of Kokiri Village. I demand passage to the Sacred Meadow." The villager spoke, looking up at the Moblin.

For a moment, the monster just stood there. Then it let out a howling laugh, finding the small boy in a tunic to be so amusing. "Kokiri village? That pitiful town? There's no way I'd grant someone like you access!" The hammer slid down it's shoulders, into it's tight awaiting hands. The Moblin slammed the hilt of it's hammer to the ground, making the ground reverberate with sheer force. "The only way you'll be allowed to pass is if you can beat me!"

Mido gave out a grunt, steadying himself from the constant jostling. He clenched his teeth, reaching for the measly deku stick he had brought.

His fairy buzzed around 'til she was right in his face, then chirped out to him, "He's too strong! We should head back." Mido just shook his head in response. The Moblin was guarding something worthy of protecting. He couldn't just ignore it, whatever it was.

The Moblin huffed, taking a few steps forward, hammer being dragged in the dirt behind it. It raised it's hammer all the way, then quickly slammed it back down. The ground shook terribly, making Mido yelp and tumble onto his side. The monster laughed out in a howl. "You're too amusing, little villager." His brief pause filled with chuckles. "I was supposed to stop anyone from entering but even if I tried, you'd probably never stop persisting. You're way too weak to be much trouble, you'll likely give up after you reach the Wolfos. Plus I got a few laughs out of this. Very well, you may pass." The Moblin stomped over to the side, leaning onto his hammer like a cane. 

Mido picked himself up, dusting off his dirt-covered tunic. He didn't think much of the Moblin's words. Wearily, he hurried into the meadow before the Moblin changed his mind. His fairy sighed in relief, chanting on about something else entirely now.

The clearing he entered was barren, besides the mysterious pedestal with three golden triangles. They looked like the golden triangles Mido had caught a glimpse of on the Hylian's hand. The blonde hero was definitely involved, he was sure.

He glimpsed around, looking for any sign of life. No blonde hero, no Saria, no anything. Why had the Moblin been guarding it though? His fairy snapped him out of his thoughts with a light yank of his hair. He yelped out painfully, snapping his head towards her.

"Mido? Hey, Mido. I feel a presence very close by." She fluttered aimlessly around, making sure the 'presence' hadn't heard her. The villager nodded tentatively, having another look around. 

Just as he was about to give up, he caught two amethyst eyes peering at him from inside a tree's branches. He stepped back.

A high pitched laugh echoed in the air, and a large fairy floated down from the branches. Her hair was golden, as well as her clothes (which there was a disturbing lack of), and vines ran up her arms and down her legs. She was easily much larger than the Moblin.

"Hello there, little villager." She hummed charmingly.

"Who are you?" Mido looked up at her and asked.

She chuckled, a hand covering her mouth politely. "My, my. I am the Great Fairy of Magic. I was summoned for the use of my magic." A smile found her face as she crossed her legs in the air. "I see your goal is... to find those who you've lost. Am I correct?"

Mido shrugged. "Yes?"

His fairy flew around the Great Fairy, ogling in amazement. The larger fairy watched the smaller do so before turning back to Mido. "Usually I'd love to help but I'm already aiding the Hero of Time. And I can only keep the one portal open, you see, so I can't make another for you. Not at the moment anyway. You can visit me when I'm done in Zora's Domain if you so desire."

She had a direct shortcut to this 'Hero of Time'? Maybe he could figure out this whole mystery finally. "Please! Let me use the portal now." He didn't honestly mean to sound so desperate but he couldn't really stress the fact otherwise that he was awfully curious.

The Great Fairy of Magic found this very amusing. What could this little orange-head gain from teleporting to some spooky old temple? If that's what he wanted, though, she had to abide. "Of course~!"

Mido watched as she began chanting something, his fairy floating down near his head. Finally, she winked at him as everything swirled into various shades of green.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was honestly planning to dish this out by Valentines Day but as you can see I am slacking...
> 
> So, I'm typing up the ending now and all I can say is that this has been wild from the start. If you guys want, I can type up the timeline for you since Link's adventure wasn't quite in the same order as everyone else's. I hope things will be clarified and you can properly enjoy reading.
> 
> That aside, I love you all so much. Thank you for every comment, kudos and hit. Everytime I get an email for even just one kudos, my day shines even brighter. If you have some time, please, please, PLEASE comment. Even if it's for a simple spelling error or misuse of a comma, I really don't mind. I love constructive criticism.

Mido had fallen into a thick spiral of greens. It felt like he was underwater, being pushed around by a current. He couldn't stop his momentum, spinning around aimlessly. He could feel himself getting a little motion sick, trying to steady himself upright. No avail however. His fairy wasn't having any luck either, as she was being flung around weightlessly. He gasped out, realizing he had stopped breathing; air came back to him in hiccups. Over the whooshing of the wind, he could hear his fairy crying out, pleading to escape the portal.

He felt a force press against him, pushing heavily down on him. Mido closed his eyes, wishing it be over now. The green around him grew darker, and darker; the feeling getting thicker, and thicker, and then it was pitch black. He opened his eyes slowly, but wide, and found himself on his butt in front of a large door. Golden chains and a large lock were scattered on the floor beside him, indicating the door used to be locked. His fairy sighed in relief, fluttering around with her newfound freedom. She was vowing to never teleport like that again. He tuned her out.

Lightly, Mido pressed his palms to the blue door. It creaked and slowly but gradually began opening. He forced it open the rest of the way, before finding himself in a small room. There was only one way forward, and that was by stairs. The other way was blocked by a railing.

Something was happening right above him, he could hear. It was hard to make it out though. Slowly, he crept up the stairs. A particularly loud step forward made everything turn eerily silent.

A deep voice began chuckling.

A dark pressure was upon Mido, and he stopped dead in his tracks. It was terrifying, almost too intense to even breathe. He released the largest breath he could muster and took the steps one at a time. He could feel his legs wobbling. Everything felt like it was crashing down on him. His fairy had quickly retreated back outside the door, too scared to go on; advising Mido do the same. A few more steps, just a few more and then he could solve everything that was happening. Saria would come out of hiding, the Hylian would defeat the evil, return and love him back (well, maybe not that last part), Link would show up again, from wherever he was. Just a few more steps. 

His feet were finally on even ground again. But not for a good reason. A distressed blonde -Link or Hylian hero, didn't matter particularly right now- was looking back at him. A large figure on a horse was looming over him.

"Mido! What're you doing here?" The blonde asked, and the Kokiri could've sworn he could see tears picking at the tips of his eyes.

The figure on his horse grabbed the reins of his stead, pulling on them to take a few steps back. The spikes separating Mido and the Hylian disappeared into the ground, luring the villager into the middle of the room. He gulped, glancing up at the blonde hero. His cerulean eyes were gazing right at him. His throat was suddenly very dry.

"Don't come closer! You aren't involved in this... You'll get hurt." The man warned, moving his gaze back over to the figure riding the horse. A dark aura was emitting from them, spreading thickly around the room. It made Mido collapse to his knees.

How could anyone stand against such intense power? 

The blonde took out his sword from it's sheath, getting into a battle stance. The horse began to pace around the outer rim of the stage, making the blonde pace to keep an eye on it.

The shadowed figure shot a beam of light, which was quickly deflected with a swing of the hero's sword. It retaliated and struck the monster. It flew off it's horse, which released a cry and charged towards a painting. A portal appeared just before it crashed into the wall, teleporting it away. 

"I see you've gotten much stronger than last time! I admit, my clones are humiliating and weak. I, myself, swear to show you a true fight." A loud deep voice spoke, seemingly from nowhere. Mido glanced around, but the only source possible was the mysterious figure; which was now notably glowing a radiant blue.

Cracks began forming all over the monster, and light flowed from it's breaking seams. A wave of purple momentarily blinded everyone. Then everything cleared and standing in the dark figure's place was a tall dark man, dressed in dark clothes. 

"Let's see if you've improved from being some clumsy little kid!" The man bellowed out, waving around a cape that Mido noticed he was wearing.

"Mido! Run! He's too strong!" The blonde called over the ominous organ now playing.

The villager couldn't move, paralyzed in fear. Still trapped in the sticky web of pressure. 

The tall man held up his trident, then slammed it onto the ground. Suddenly, a ghostly figure flew through the wall. It held up a lantern, chuckling in a chilling voice. It neared Mido, looking at him. The Kokiri jumped up, backing away from it. The blonde grunted, unable to protect him. He needed to focus on throwing back Ganondorf's attacks.

The Poe chuckled again, sending a shiver down Mido's spine. It lurched forward, cackling. The Kokiri jumped out of it's path, landing beside the hero's feet, knocking into the blonde's legs. In turn, the Poe just waved at him and twirled away. Odd little thing.

The blonde, noticing Ganondorf's hesitation, quickly removed his Hylian shield and handed it to Mido. Before he could tell him how to use it, he was back to swiping at the magic attacks. Ganondorf kept evading them, which was beginning to get really repetitive.

"Will we continue playing this futile game or should we change things up?" The Gerudo didn't let either respond before he flew into the air. He smirked, before forming a large electric orb in his palms. The blonde grabbed Mido's arm and yanked him over to the edge of the stage, just as Ganon released the attack and the center of the stage ignited into sparks. There was no way Mido could survive a hit like that. "Well?"

Mido couldn't tell if he was getting in the way or not. He really hoped he was just being paranoid.

The hero motioned for him to stay as he stepped back into the center. The Gerudo crossed his arms, looking down at the blonde. "Are you not amused, Hero? Should I try igniting your spirit? Or maybe someone else needs a push?" His slick yellow eyes turned to the Kokiri who hadn't yet gotten off the ground, still half-covered by the Hylian's shield.

Somehow Mido found his voice again, but was still trembling. "Wh- Where's Saria?" He asked, making two sets of eyes look at him.

"Oh, is the Hero not enough for you? You're an amusing little villager, with odd interests. It's almost sad that things don't work out like you want them to." Ganondorf teased, and Mido could sense this dreaded feeling deep within his words. He knew. He knew that Mido liked the Hylian. Now he really hoped he was wrong.

Still, that wasn't much of an answer. 

"Don't worry. Sa- Saria's okay. She's okay." The blonde reassured him, but he couldn't help but think the opposite. It was hard to tell if he was just saying that or if she really was okay by the stutter alone.

The Gerudo hummed, looking between the Kokiri and the Hylian. He nodded his head in some silent agreement.

"If someone lies to you once, would you be able to trust them again?" Ganon asked, looking at the orange-haired boy. 

Mido looked to be deep in thought before answering with a gulp: "It depends who it is."

"Someone you've known for a long time. And their lie has hurt you immensely."

What was the man getting at?

"Uh, I don't know. I might forgive them if it was just th- the once. It really is circu-." The Gerudo cut him off.

"And then they lie to you twice. Even though they know it's hurting you. They just don't stop. They never admit they were lying. They just keep up the charade. How does it make you feel?"

"I'd be upset with them, probably. But what does this have to do with anything?" Mido asked, looking up at the man curiously.

Ganondorf and the blonde shared looks. The eye contact was brief before all eyes were back onto the Kokiri.

"I think we should have a reunion of sorts. We should stop this game of charades before it causes anymore pain or suffering." Ganondorf smirked, looking back over at the blonde.

The Hylian charged at the Gerudo, sword struck out. Ganondorf jumped out of the way of the sword's strike, using his palm to knock back the Hero. "Oh, you have an objection? Don't you think it's just boring now though?"

"You're trying to use him as a weakness. I can't let you expose everything just so you can win. A- After I defeat you... I'll tell him myself." Link swung around the Master Sword, but didn't manage to land a single hit.

With a grin, Ganondorf threw Link back with a burst of energy. "But don't you want to know what your hero is hiding from you, Mido?" 

The villager looked wide-eyed at the blonde. Did he? He began to shake his head, but paused mid-stride. It would bug him forever if he didn't know though. But he really didn't want expose the Hylian either. He needed an answer, and quickly.

"I swear I will tell you everything! We just need to defeat Ganondorf first!"

Ganondorf. 

This was Ganondorf?!

"You can think that, but what's to say he won't lie again, and hurt you _again_?"

Again? What did he mean by again? The Hylian had never done anything wrong.

"He's done many wrong things. Don't be fooled by his Hero appeal." Either Ganon was using tricks or he was starting to sound convincing.

Link noticed Mido was beginning to lose sight of things. "Mido, don't listen to him! He's using magic!" 

"Go ahead and trust him. See who gets hurt in the end." A pause in complete silence. "Little Kokiri, if you join me, we can rule all of Hyrule and banish all liars from the land. Starting with the Hero of Time-."

"Mido! He's using magic! Cover your ears!" The Hero himself quickly shouted, covering his own ears, watching in shock as the villager didn't listen to him.

Ganondorf chuckled, watching the scene. "Are we listening intently now? Can you bare the wait no longer?" Rising in the air, the Gerudo spread his arms and legs. A large purple portal opened at the center of the stage, making Link cautiously move to the outer rims again, palms still glued to his ears. "Your Hero of Time, the Hylian you've become endlessly infatuated with, is actually-!"

"Mido!" Link cried out, switching to holding onto the railings as to not be sucked into the portal.

"Your long lost friend from seven years ago, Link!"

The purple swallowed both the Kokiri and Hylian, making both of them tumble deep into a purple world. The portal closed shortly after, sending them away.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's some blood and not-too-descriptive violence but it's not a lot. I just wanna warn the queasy.

This mode of transportation was similar to the fairies, but then also a little different. Instead of feeling stretched and pulled at at the end, Mido just found himself standing in a different place. Not a few feet away, Link was also present. They were standing on the roof of a castle, that much was evident.

The blonde, he could see from the corner of his eye, was running straight for him. Link. The blonde, the Hylian, love of his life; that was Link. The kid he raised, the Kokiri he pushed around because he was jealous of some young crush who was gone now anyway; that was Link. The one who hurt him the most, who made his heart ache and stomach twist, who riled up the fairies in his stomach but also turned and stabbed him in the back; that was all Link.

Link reached out for Mido, a desperate grasp at best. But the Kokiri pulled back, keeping some distance. Tears were springing up in the corner of his eyes. "It is you, Link. Isn't it?" 

The Hylian shield loosely strapped around his arm felt weightless as the Hylian before him bit his lip and gave a silent nod. Cerulean eyes met cyan. "Mido, I was going to tell you. I promise! I- I just couldn't do it yet. I thought we really connected, and you seemed really happy. It wasn't my inten-!"

The Kokiri threw the shield down, watching as it skidded across the ground and hit the blonde's boots. What was the purpose of it? It didn't shield him from the emotional blow. "Don't you dare lie to me again! Don't say it was for me! You should've told me where you were going that day, and how long I would have to wait to see you agai-! No, we! How long Kokiri village would have to wait to see their hero again. If you cared about us, you wouldn't have just run off for seven years with no warning!"

For a moment, he just stood there, eyes puffy and red, tears streaming down his cheeks, fists clenched tightly at his sides. Link tried to shuffle closer, comfort him and explain everything, but Mido kept equal distance.

A chuckle from above didn't help the tension.

"Nothing to input, Hero? Is your supply of lies dried up? Do you have the _courage_ to continue?" Ganondorf chuckled, suddenly appearing behind the Hylian. The Gerudo moved swiftly, catching the off-guard blonde's forearm. He gave the limb a tight squeeze, making Link gasp. He dropped the Master Sword.

"Your courage is so diminished, I could just _rip_ it right from you..." The dark king trailed off, tightening his grip. Link tried to kick at him but he didn't let up. He heard something pop and his struggles began becoming more ragged and disoriented. Something was draining him of his power. It was one of Ganondorf's spells!

A particularly harsh and abrupt yank ripped him from his thoughts. Pain erupted vividly and surged throughout him from his right shoulder, screaming and blaring vividly in his mind. His arm, he couldn't feel it any longer. Slowly his senses came crawling back. He was on his knees, kneeling in a puddle of blood which was being soaked up by his tunic. Warm blood was splattered on his face and his chest. And his right arm wasn't moving. Then, it finally all hit him. He belted out a scream, eyes gazing over at the stump of his arm that had been torn right off him. Gone. It was gone.

Mido, watching in horror, unable to tear his gaze away, was abruptly slammed back into reality when Ganondorf touched his shoulder gingerly. Did he need a collection of arms? Was he next?

"Young Kokiri, it's time. Take this power, and we can eliminate every single liar from Hyrule. We can create an honest kingdom together. We can begin with wiping out this pathetic self-proclaimed Hero." 

Mido's wide eyes wandered over to the tall tantalizing man. Link's freshly torn arm was extended to him, forming a small puddle of blood on the ground between them. The smile on the Gerudo's face was unsettling, but didn't show any signs of misleading. Slowly the orange-haired boy reached out, picking up the Hylian's arm by the wrist. Holding the joint usually would've been thrilling to him, but not under the current circumstances. Now he just stared blankly at it's stillness.

"Do you feel the power surging through you? Can you feel it crawling under your skin, bustling around, attempting to burst out?" 

Something did surge through Mido's veins, he could feel. It wasn't an unwelcome feeling, but it wasn't too pleasant either. The arm dropped from his grasp, but the pulsing power kept with him.

"Yes, I- I can feel it. What should I do with it?" For a moment, his cyan eyes gazed up meticulously at Link, searching for an answer. But his eyes quickly averted themselves, reminding himself over and over again that he couldn't trust him anymore. He then gazed up at the towering form of Ganondorf.

The Gerudo knelt down, a hand reaching out and caressing his cheek. "Use it. Use the power of the Triforce of Courage to destroy everyone that has done wrong." He didn't flinch back from the touch like he was expecting himself to.

He inhaled a deep breath, nodding. His eyes closed, and his attention diverted solely on the power he now possessed. The Gerudo smirked, using his free hand to teleport an amulet into his free palm.

"Can you feel the radiation of it's true potential? Don't let it control you. Consume it all; utilize it." He then moved his other hand off the Kokiri's face, undoing the clip for the amulet. His hands moved around Mido's neck, fitting the neck charm on him. 

Faintly, Mido heard Link call out to him, before he heard a small clip, and everything around him became a distorted haze. He could make out blurry images, but nothing was clear.

The amulet dangling around his neck flared into purple, releasing some sort of magic. Mido's irises became dulled, turning a bland gray. His head turned to Link, face horrifyingly blank of any emotion. Ganondorf was laughing, the gem on his forehead flickering with the same aura of the amulet he had given Mido.

"Begin by taking out this miserable Hero." The Gerudo ordered, sneering slightly. Mido nodded, stepping closer.

Link wanted to reach out, to rip the amulet right off and get back his friend, but that wasn't possible when the Kokiri gave him a firm kick to the ribs. He groaned, crawling away to keep his own distance. He couldn't fight very well without his sword or even with just one hand.

Speaking of the Master Sword, he realized Mido must've picked it up while he was pulling back. He assumed the former position of standing, even though his shoulder still protested at any movement currently. He had to utilize his words to get Mido back.

"You don't want to j-join Ganondorf, Mido. He's a terrible man. He'll just kill you when he's done with you." It wasn't working. Mido kept slashing at him without hesitation. "Please, consider everything. If you join him, he'll destroy all of Hyrule, including Kokiri village. All the villagers will die. He may even vanquish the sages. Mido, sh- Saria is a sage. Ganondorf plans to kill Saria. Y-you can't be with her if she's dead, right?" Link began, evading the swings skillfully. He knew his stamina wouldn't hold out for long though. And he certainly wasn't going to attack Mido either. He rolled out of the way of another blow, realizing how terrible of an idea that was when his shoulder begin screaming in pain.

He grimaced, trying to continue keeping up with the attacks. The Kokiri didn't seem to have any particular pattern, just to swing at him in hopes of hitting him. "Mido, please! I know you feel betrayed, and it hurts a lot. I know, and I'm so sorry. If I could make up all that time, I would do it in a heartbeat." No letting up. He stumbled, falling onto his knees. "But I can't! Not yet. If we defeat Ganondorf, you can have all the time in the world to be angry at me. You can yell at me and tell me all about your suffering. I won't stop you. You have to fight back though, Mido. Help me defeat Ganondorf! Stand up against him!"

"The only one he'll be standing against would be you, pitiful excuse for an owner of courage. You can't defend yourself or fight back. All you can do is desperately grasp at straws! That's right, faithful servant of mine. Delete him from this world!"

Mido raised the Master Sword high above his head. Piercing gaze down at Link with dulled eyes.

The blonde reached out one more time, hand abruptly meeting his chest. "Mido, please, don't let him destroy Kokiri."

That was his final request.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about my absence. I've nearly got the last chapter finished, but my stomach hasn't been acting properly recently so I can't say when I'll have time to finish it between resting and visiting the doctor. 
> 
> Thank you all so much for sticking around. I know I haven't been amazing with updates but I'm glad some of you guys have stuck and haven't left yet.

Mido, blade raised high above his head, ready to strike down, hesitated. Slowly he regained control of himself, sight and hearing returning. His breathing, it was very heavy and hard to control. The Master Sword was lowered slightly, showing he was indeed pulling back from Ganondorf's grip. He looked at Link's open palm, which was still precariously close to his chest. Peering inside his hand, through loose knuckles, he realized the blonde had swiped the amulet off his neck. It was also crushed, which he predicted the Hylian had also directly caused.

A smile drew upon Link's face, and Mido had to take a step back. No, Link still betrayed him. There was no way he could trust him. 

Ganondorf spoke up. "I see my attempt was futile. I must be the one to eliminate the Hero of Time. Very well. You," he glared pointedly at Mido, "will be dealt with later."

Link shot his gaze back to Mido, then eyed the Master Sword he still wielded. "Mido, listen to me. I know you're still weary of me, but you must follow my instructions. You have to use the Master Sword and seal Ganondorf away." Quickly, the Hylian pulled out six coins. He held them out for Mido, who reluctantly took them. 

"What're these for? And I don't know if I can seal him." Mido replied, gulping as he chanced a look at the awaiting Gerudo. Of course, the dark king was waiting for them to make a move.

Link spoke quickly, making his attention snap back to him. Between Ganondorf or Link, Mido figured he could trust the blonde more. Whatever spell the man had cast was broken and none of his promises sounded much alluring. "They'll give you more strength. It's the Sage's power, all backing you up. I didn't get Saria's medallion but she's still here with us, aiding us." Mido nodded, looking down at the Master Sword. Could he really aim to kill? "And Mido?"

"Yeah?" He shot his gaze back down, searching Link's face for a hint of lying.

Instead he smiled again, his hand resting on the sword's blade. "Believe you can do it, with all your might, and it's possible. Fight alongside courage, don't think of yourself as feeble. It'll guide you, let it. Stand by your courage and it'll support you."

"Well? I'm usually not an impatient person, but lately you have been getting on my nerves. Either attack me or fall before me."

Mido nodded at Link, assuring himself of what he was about to attempt. Master Sword and a handful of coins still in hand, the Kokiri villager turned to confront Ganon. The blonde watched him stand against the Gerudo, and cheered him on. Mido could not afford to lose.

Ganondorf sneered at the sight of the orange-head, Master Sword at the ready. The insolent child was trying to step between him and his ultimate goal. Foolish child indeed. He would just make a fool of himself at this point.

Still, the owner of the Triforce of Power did not back down from the challenge. "Last chance, little Kokiri. After this, I will take this as a sign of resistance."

_Use your courage. Stand by it. Don't let it consume you. Don't lose sight of it._

"I, leader of Kokiri village, Mido, will bring you down." It was coursing through him lively, sparking every part of him to life. Somehow he felt lighter, tougher, much stronger.

Power flared from the kid before him, making Ganondorf hesitate. Where had he gotten such force? How had he gone from to a weakling to a force-to-be-reckoned within just mere seconds?

The Gerudo masked his weariness, instead trying for a more confident appearance. "You've only seen my weak attacks." His voice lowered, gaining a hiss -more of a growl- at the edge of his words. "Let me show you true power, and then maybe you'll think twice!"

His arms and legs tore through his clothes, turning into masses of muscle. His abdomen puffed out some too, shifting to the shape of some sort of hog. Ganondorf's face stretched out, tusks beginning to bulge out. His head shaped into that of a pigs. Long fiery red hair streaked from the tip of his head down his spine, ending midway on his back. Dark fur filled in the rest, which also formed a small protruding, glowing tail. He growled huskily at Mido before him. The villager, albeit somewhat frightened, continued standing his ground.

Ganon, the beast, huffed out a hot breath which whipped past Mido.

Still clutching the sword tightly, Mido made for a swipe at the giant hog. The Master Sword grazed Ganon's cheek, who had been expecting the Kokiri to be frozen still. He screeched out, shaking his head in a flurry, backing away. After recovering momentarily, Ganon reared back, then charged forward at the orange headed villager.

"Watch out!" Link called, grunting as he reached out to Mido. The Kokiri was thrown back, but hardly felt the collision of the railing that had stopped his momentum. Ganon huffed out, rearing back to ram into him again.

This time when Ganon charged, Mido attempted to roll out the way like he'd seen Link done before. It worked, but just barely, and had it taken a second more, he definitely would be without his legs. 

Ganondorf ran straight into a large tower, and the structure came crashing down, trapping him underneath.

"Okay, once he's down, attack his tail!" Link shouted from the sidelines.

"The tail? Right, okay." Mido ran over, and slashed a couple of times at Ganon's stubby tail. 

The castle shook and Ganon gave out a loud roar, bursting himself out from under the rubble.

With a gruff, the large beast hopped up onto two legs. Two large blades apparated into his palms.

"Young Kokiri, you've trained with a blade before. Likely due to the struggle that befell your puny village. Your skills are still not exceptional enough however, to stand a chance against me." Ganon twirled the blades in his hands until they settled; pointed at Mido.

Mido gulped, wiping the forming of tears from his eyes. He needed to stay strong, or else he'd fail. The Master Sword felt heavy in his hands, slicked with sweat. Could he kill someone? He'd never killed anything before. 

Ganon reared back and jabbed a blade forward, pressing nearly all his weight into the swing. Mido clumsily stuck up both his arms to cover his face, forgetting everything about a fight and letting his instincts foolishly lead him. The blade met a barrier surrounding the Kokiri, pushing Ganon back. Two sets of eyes wandered over to Link who, despite losing blood at an alarming rate, was desperately clutching a small gem in his hand.

"Mido, I've cast Nayru's Love. It'll protect you, but only for a little while. Please, stall Ganon. I will aide you as best as I can from here." The blonde spoke, showing the Kokiri the fire still brightly lit in those cerulean eyes. Wow, he could really could get lost in those.

He said to 'stall' Ganon? With a nod, Mido turned back to his opponent. This was going to be difficult.

Ganondorf huffed out a snort, mocking him.

"Let's test how strong that magic is..." He raised his dual blades into the air, giving off a roar into the heavens. Thunder rumbled out and the sky ignited into lightning, striking the blades.

Now with a set of lightning-packed blades, Ganon took several more swings at Mido. The Kokiri raised the Master Sword in anticipation, but none of the strikes broke through the magic shield.

Ganon growled lowly, becoming more vigorous and quicker in his swings. None of them could get through Nayru's Love. The magic was impenetrable. He raised a blade, then abruptly struck down. Still, the shield held out, reverberating the hit back into the blade. The metal began cracking, before finally shattering in Ganon's palm.

The beast roared again, filled with rage.

"Your shield is exceptional! I admit that. But, have you unwisely left yourself open, Hero?" In the now free palm, Ganon charged a magic attack. The other hand, still grasping the blade, reared back. "Move your shield onto yourself and let the young Kokiri get hit or let yourself get hit? Options, options, options. Such little time to think!"

With that, he swung the blade forward, letting it leave his hand. It spun in the air, flying straight towards Link.

"L-Link! Dodge it!" Mido cried as the magical attack in Ganon's palm slammed heavily into his shield and made him wince. Ganon pressed his weight on the shield, hoping it'd give way. The pressure however didn't make it deter, as Mido was still so far from his grasp.

Eyes glared back at the blonde hero who had skillfully managed to dodge Ganon's projectile.

"You two as a team are becoming rather irritating! I would assume removing one of you would make this much easier, but how I go about doing that will be the challenge, won't it?" The Gerudo beast rumbled out with a smirk.

This time, a small purple orb formed into Ganon's open palm. "Try this, little Kokiri!" 

He shot the orb forward. It met with the shield, as did every attack, but instead, slowly began to phase through it.

Mido screamed, the orb sticking to his arm. He tried shaking it off, but it only began to spread on him.

"Mido! Don't let him take control!" Link pleaded from where he was kneeling.

The orb sizzled, releasing a purple smog around Mido. The Master Sword and the six coins clattered to the ground. 

The wind cleared away the fog after a few moments, making Link go completely still. Wobbly and unsteady, he stood and rushed as quickly as he could over to Mido. Or what was left of him. He collapsed to his knees, grabbing the boy's chin.

"Mido."

"Y-y-ya?"

Link pulled him into a hug, holding him very close and tight.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. We can reverse this, I promise. Ju-just wait a little longer. The pri- Zelda will change you back, I promise."

"K-k-ka-kay."

It was kind of hard to see, all he could register was large colored blotches in his view. The colors corresponding to Link and those to Ganondorf was his only indication. His head was throbbing and his arms and legs were stinging. 

One of the requests he had made some time ago was horribly answered.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading this through and staying on board >-< ! We're almost to the end! I really did enjoy writing this whole thing out. After all is said and done, please know I will gladly write more on these two, provided you guys want more.

Link had picked up the Master Sword again. Glancing back at Mido, rerunning ideas in his mind, making his stomach ache at the Kokiri's misfortune.

He had been transformed into a skull kid.

"Please Hylia. Believe in me. Lend me your _courage_." He pleaded to the goddess above.

Ganon chuckled, twirling the remaining blade in his hand.

"This is where you fall, Hero. Your time is up. Once I have vanquished you, Hyrule will be squished like a bug." The beast chuckled.

Link breathed in and out, continuing the simple mantra in his head.

_"Lend me your courage."_

_**"Lend me your courage."**_

He exhaled deeply again, then readied himself to begin. "Goddess Hylia, guide me. Allow me to strike down the evil."

Ganon belted out a laugh. "Your goddess can't help you now! Your blessings will be unanswered. Prepare yourself!" He lunged, blade swinging.

Link jumped up, dodging Ganon's blade with a flip. He landed on his palm, then jumped up onto his feet. Quickly, he darted under Ganon and began swinging away at his tail. One hit, two hits, then three. 

The Gerudo roared, turning sharply around to face the Hylian. He swung again, and missed again. This time, his balance didn't fall off kilter and didn't give Link an opening.

The Hero dodged the next swing which had hoped to catch him when he was unprepared. This sent Ganon tumbling disoriented forwards, allowing him to bolt under his legs again and get in some more hits. Four hits, five, six. 

The beast howled, spinning on it's heels to face him again.

"You _will_ perish before me! Die, Hero!" Lightning ignited the remaining blade once more, making the air around Link crackle to life. The thunder clap that followed made the very castle under them quiver.

The sword was raised, then swung viciously down. He back-flipped to evade it, but couldn't catch himself, and ended up collapsing on the roof. He winced, picking himself back up. Ganon had managed to get his blade stuck in the stone tiles of the roof. That was his opportunity!

Link side stepped quickly to the rear of the beast. He held the Master Sword high, praying to the goddesses above. He then struck down at the wiggling limb, gaining a piercing shriek from Ganon. The Gerudo grunted out in pain, stumbling to turn around. His legs trembled, collapsing to his knees.

"Damn you, Hero! This will... not be... my... end!" He grunted out, attempting to stand back up. His arms failed him however, making him fall back to the ground.

The Master Sword vibrated in Link's hand, glowing a vibrant blue. This was the end for Ganondorf. He must seal him now.

The Hero stepped up to the beast's snout, raising the holy sword, pointing it down.

"Damn... you... Link!"

The blade came down, slicing solidly through his skull with a sick crunch. Link's gut twisted at the sound, but he didn't release his hold on the Master Sword's handle.

Navi, hiding under Link's hat, burst from underneath the cover. "I'm so sorry, Link! Ganondorf's power was just too much!" She floated around, sincerely chirping her apologies.

Link nodded, sheathing the Master Sword into it's sheath. "It's okay Navi. He's been defeated now. Thank you for all your help."

She nodded.

The Hero walked over to Mido, who was seated on the floor.

The sky crackled with lightning, making the planet shake with the intensity. He glanced around, standing in a defensive stance.

" **Ancient Creators of Hyrule!** "

Rauru's voice made the ground tremble, as his power radiated from beyond the Sacred Realm.

" **Now, open the sealed door and send the Evil Incarnation of Darkness into the void of the Evil Realm!!** "

The six medallions floated from off the ground where Mido had dropped them, into the air above the still Ganon.

The ground trembled again, making Link bend his knees slightly to steady himself.

_"DAMN YOU, ZELDA!"_ Ganon howled, voice echoing from somewhere above.

_"DAMN YOU... SAGES!!"_

_"DAMN... YOU... LINK!!"_ His voice faded, a faint purple wafting off his form. Ganon's body shrunk down into a shriveled lavender spirit.

The Sage's medallions and his spirit melded together, ascending up slowly.

_"Someday... when this seal is broken... that is when I'll exterminate your descendants!!"_

They were nearly to the heavens now, where Ganondorf could then be sent to the Evil Realm.

_"As long as the Triforce of Power is in my hand-!"_

They vanished into the sky, cutting off any other word's Ganondorf had to share.

A bright flash of light blinded Link, who used his arm to protect his retinas. Zelda stood before him now. She was smiling lightly. Slowly, her smile faded as she peered down at a figure beside him.

Mido, still stuck in an unfortunate form, was clinging to his leg now. The blonde male knelt down, scooping up Mido who was now a skull kid, and faced back towards the princess Zelda.

"Thank you, Link," A soft smile spread onto her lips as she looked at the skull kid. "And Mido. Thanks to you, Ganondorf has been sealed in the Evil Realm. Thus, peace will once again reign in this world..." She paused, a humble look on her face. "For a time."

The blonde Sage looked down at the ground, a hand finding her chin. "All the tragedy that has befallen Hyrule was my doing..." She admitted. "I was so young... I could not comprehend the consequences of trying to control the Sacred Realm." She confessed, glancing at the sleeve of his tunic that no longer contained an arm. This saddened her.

She lifted her palm, gingerly pressing at his shoulder. A glowing light erupted from the stub, expanding to the size and shape of a limb. Link gaped, watching as the arm moved to his will and command. He flexed and tested out his fingers. It may have been see-through, but it was fully functional and efficient for an arm.

Zelda stepped back, not meeting Link's eyes in shame. "I dragged you into it, too. Now it is time for me to make up for my mistakes... You must lay the Master Sword to rest and close the Door of Time."

Her eyes glanced up at him, giving a sincere look. "However, by doing this, the road between times will be closed. Link, give me the Ocarina. As a Sage, I can return you," The princess smiled down at Mido. "Both of you, to your original time with it."

Mido looked up at Link, with such lost, beady eyes. The blonde Hero nodded. He unclipped the Ocarina of Time from his belt, hesitating before placing it into Zelda's palm. The princess nodded, placing her hand over his. 

They shared an exchange of looks. Mido whimpered, clutching tighter to Link. 

Zelda sighed out at this. "When peace returns to Hyrule... it will be time for us to say good-bye."

Link let his pseudo hand slip from Zelda's loose hold. The princess held the Ocarina close to herself, clutching it tightly.

"Now, go home Link. Regain your lost time." She nodded affirmatively. "Home... where you are supposed to be... the way you are supposed to be..."

Link nodded, his head bowed slightly. "Princess, I am the Hero of Time. No matter when... no matter where... for the sake of Hyrule, I will fight."

She inhaled deeply, then pressed the windway of the Ocarina to her lips. Slowly, she began exhaling into it. Her eyes fluttered closed, allowing herself to become immersed in the song.

Zelda was playing the melody of Time, slower then he himself normally performed it. The ground below Link's feet erupted into blue, surrounding him in a bubble. Mido, Link, and Navi began ascending from the Sacred Realm, fading away into white.

Zelda's voice resonated faintly and softly within them.

_"Thank you... Link... Good-bye..."_

~~~

They had appeared in a large stone temple.

Mido's eyes wandered around, searching the vast room. It was mostly empty, besides the large triangular pedestal and many windows high above. He didn't dare let go of Link however, not in such a vulnerable state. They hadn't even discussed turning him back, but he hoped the blonde still had a plan to return him to his Kokiri self. For now, he was stuck as a skull kid.

Navi fluttered around, chirping happily.

"Link, this is my goodbye for now! May we meet again... in the past." She spoke reluctantly, pausing between words to breathe. The sprite gave him a brief hug of his face, before fluttering off. Mido and Link watched her leave.

Mido groaned, clutching Link by his green tunic, hoping to remind the Hero of his state.

Link chuckled lightly, the butterflies in the Kokiri's stomach fluttering frantically about. The laugh warmed him and if he hadn't been a skull kid, he was sure a blush would've been spread throughout his cheeks.

"I must return the Master Sword now to completely seal away Ganondorf."

Mido nodded, but hadn't released his grip. He felt as if he shouldn't ever let go. Like something treacherous would happen if he even loosened his grasp.

He watched the blonde Hylian unsheath the Master Sword, watching it glint in the sunlight that leaked in through the windows.

"Please, don't stay mad at me. Give me a chance this time around, okay? I'm immensely sorry for leaving Kokiri village, but now I can stay forever, okay? Is that okay with you?" Link asked, looking over to the skull kid attached to his arm and hugging his torso tightly.

Mido breathed out, slowly nodding. 

This time around? What did that mean?

Link nodded, smile spreading brightly on his face.

"Wait for me. I'll be back very soon."

He placed the Master Sword back into it's pedestal. 

The world around them turned a pearl white, and then they seperated into their own realm.

Mido's body came back into existence, discarding that awful skull kid guise. He was ever so thankful. He was however alone in the endless pearl realm now.

He exhaled, looking around nervously. No one around, nothing in sight. He didn't like this at all.

His eyes closed, allowing him to concentrate a little more. What to do, what to do: repeated like a broken record, over and over again in his head.

He startled awake, shooting out of his wooden, firm bed. Mido gasped out, clutching his chest with sweat rolling down his face. His eyes quickly scanned the area, and he found himself in his house. His house 7 years ago. His chests were still closed, albeit him remembering Link wandering in and breaking them all open.

Link.

Link!

He shoot out of bed, beelining his way to the tree house. Fado was on his tail, prying to know the rush. He disregarded her however as he climbed to the top of the ladder and pushed back the navy blue curtains in place of a door.

No one home.

He sighed, trudging back down the rungs of the wooden ladder.

"Why the rush to visit Linkie~? He isn't back yet." Fado sung, hands mysteriously crossed behind her back.

"It's nothing!" Mido shot back, quick to try and hide his embarrassment. "Where did he go?"

Fado smirked, rocking on the heels of her feet. "He said it had some~thing to do with a 'Temple of Time'. Saria said he was coming back real soon though~."

Mido nodded, walking towards a large log that lead out of the village. Fado hummed, jogging up behind him.

"Something happening I don't know about, Mido~? Something you want to tell me?" The blonde woman childishly giggled, giving him a pleading look.

"Pl-please Fado. I will explain later. Just return to your duties." He dismissed her with a flick of his hand, making the girl nod in response.

"Of course~." Her tone spoke happy and cheerful, but the look on her face as she turned to leave seemed almost sinister.

Mido waved off the triplet who tried to stop him from leaving. Of course, the brunet obliged. He was still the leader after all.

He leaned against the rope holding the wooden bridge up. Link had to pass through here when he returned. They could talk it out then.

~~

It had been about an hour or so before Mido heard hurried footsteps. He snapped from his dazed state, jumping up to alertness. His hands found his hips as he mentally prepared himself. Link was about to appear before him again, and even though he had previously prepped several lectures for years gone by with now word back, nobody remembered him ever leaving. The 7 years were back, and they didn't have to live in fear again. The lectures were completely thrown out the window now.

His heart skipped a couple of beats when emerged from the other side of the bridge came a bright, smiling, young Link. He wasn't an adult anymore, confirming to Mido that they had returned back 7 years.

At first he hesitated even moving, staring wide-eyed at the Hylian before him. But before he could make up his mind on an appropriate approach, he bolted forward. Link gasped as he was caught in a tight embrace.

"Welcome back, you big jerk!" Mido cried happily, squeezing the blonde a little tighter.

Link may have been in some scrawny kid's body, but he was still fully capable of freeing his arms from Mido's hold and returning a bone-crushing hug, with both very real arms. Which made the ginger wince, but he was so happy to finally be hugged by Link he really couldn't care.

"Glad to see you too, Mido." Link returned the greeting, pulling out of the embrace.

The Kokiri stared at him, fumbling to speak. 7 years before and he still couldn't even converse with the Hylian.

"I'm sorry for everything previously, I hope we can still be friends?" Link smiled, outstretching an open palm to his Kokiri friend.

Mido laughed, looking down at the proffered hand, eyes watering up. He rubbed away at them, but tears kept coming back.

"Link... I..."

The blonde leaned a little closer, wondering what Mido had said, for he hadn't heard. "Yes?"

Swiftly, Mido grabbed the blonde hero by the sides of his face. Before he had even thought about it, he had planted his lips onto the Hylian's, enticing a soft groan of surprise from him. It was sloppy, and only lasted for a few seconds. It was his first kiss after all.

Mido gasped, jumping back. His face was flushed red, and he was in disbelief he had even just done _that_. A glance up showed Link was frozen still, and he was blushing just as furiously.

"SORRY!" Mido furiously cried out, bolting back into the village and straight home. He slammed the door shut with a loud thunk, holding his back to the wooden slate. The Kokiri leader fell to the ground. He held his face in his hands, trying to maintain his breathing.

Crap.

Crap!

Triple crap!

Infinite crap!

He was damned for eternity!

He just kissed Link!!

Oh Great Deku Tree, please bless him with a blissful, painless end.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing like some finality to a fic I started ages ago. 
> 
> Feel free to criticize my work. Kind of want to write more, but this'll be the end for now.
> 
> ❤

It had been about one day after the incident, of course, that trouble came knocking on the door.

Mido groaned, expecting Fado or one of the Know-It-All brothers. He rolled back over in bed, placing a pillow over his head.

"Mido? Hello? Can we talk?" It was Saria, much to his surprise. The pillow was discarded slowly.

He sat up, looking at the door cautiously. "Yeah, sure. Come in." 

Saria opened the door, looking around at the inside of Mido's home. She had seen it several times before, but a wave of nostalgia had hit her and she couldn't help but be reminiscent about the place.

"Don't be mad with him, okay? Link told me about... well..." Saria paused, sighing sheepishly.

"He what?!" Mido gasped, then groaned out loudly. He knew instantly what she was referring to. He grabbed the nearby pillow and covered his face with it again.

The girl Kokiri sighed, taking away the suffocation device. She held it in her arms a safe distance away from his reach.

"Well, it was really an accident. I was actually waiting in the treetops for him to return, then I spotted you. I... I saw you two kissing and I wasn't too sure what was going on. I did ask him about it. That's when he explained it all to me." She shrugged it off, but Mido could feel heat crawling back on his face. "Oh and Link wanted me to ask you to meet him at the spa. I don't know where that is, but I assume you do?"

Mido nodded with a reluctant sigh. "Yes, thank you, will do."

The sage nodded back, placing the pillow down on one of the closer, wooden chests. "Are- Are you okay though? I'll get you something and tell Link you can't meet if you're feeling unwell."

Mido was quick to object, shaking his head. "No, no, I'm fine. Anything else you wanted to ask?" She shook her head, turning away to head outside.

"Oh, hey, one last thing?" The village leader called, making her turn around mid-stride.

"Yes?" She hummed, giving him a warm, soft smile.

Mido sighed. "Please don't tell anyone about... it."

Saria nodded. "Of course, will do. Have a good day!" She waved farewell, exiting the villager's home.

Mido let out an exasperated sigh, groaning and sitting cross-legged on his bed. He sat in deep contemplation, debating between biting the arrow and meeting up with Link, or keeping himself burrowed deep in his bed until he died of natural cause.

He curled his hands into fists, finally sighing out through his nose. No, he was going to go see Link.

~~

The sun began setting just off in the horizon, light maneuvering through the forest to reach the village.

Mido decided not to bring anything with him as he trudged through the Lost Woods, entering the familiar clearing. He pushed his bangs to the side as they had fallen into his face.

He had been mentally prepared to face Link, but as soon as he spotted the blonde, his strength was drained from him.

Link wasn't in the water and didn't have any towels with him, revealing his intention was not to go bathing. Upon hearing Mido, the Hylian turned his gaze towards him.

"Mido, you showed up." He sounded a little surprised, but then shook his head, banishing the thought.

The ginger rubbed the back of his head, hesitant to speak. So many things to say, to ask, yet nothing formed into actual sentences.

"I wanted to apologize to you. I guess... I guess I wasn't paying enough attention to notice that you... that you felt that way." Link paused, feeling nearly as tense as the Kokiri. Regardless, he stepped closer until he was just some feet away. Slowly, as to not startle Mido, Link grabbed at the other's hands and held them up.

"I'm sorry - very, very sorry. I was thinking this whole time you were going to hate my guts, and kept prying to be even more friendly. I ended up toying with your emotions though." Link closed his eyes, breathing out.

Mido gulped, squeezing Link's hands, attracting the blonde's attention. 

"I- I also want to apologize." He declared, cheeks beet red when he met Link's attentive eyes. Quickly, he glanced down at the ground. "I shouldn't have been such a jerk to you for all of your life. I was- I was so jealous of you and Saria, and then how much potential the Great Deku Tree saw in you. You, an outsider, someone who didn't even have a fairy to themselves. You, who shouldn't seem like they belonged, but you've found your way into our village so snuggly that you could be one of us. I hated that. I just was so blind, I couldn't accept you. You were taking MY spot in this village, and I couldn't-." 

Link pushed forward, pulling Mido into a tight embrace. His hand guided Mido's head into his shoulder, the other rubbing into his back. He hushed him gingerly, hand comfortably clutching his neck.

"It's okay, Mido. I know. You don't have to apologize." Link spoke in a hushed tone, continuing to rub the other's back.

Mido choked on a sob, his nose brushing against Link's neck. His arms wrapped around Link, clutching his back like his life depended on it. "No, I do. I've said and done some horrible things to you." 

Despite wanting to pull away, Mido couldn't will himself to let go. It was almost greedy, he thought, to hold on, but the Kokiri didn't care. "I've been such a jerk. I bullied you for all these years, never really said what I wanted to. I was too scared."

Link pulled them both over to the log, tugging Mido - although the other wasn't hard to take control over. They both sat down on the large trunk but kept holding on to each other.

The blonde gently squeezed the back of the orange-haired boy's neck in a reassuring gesture. "It's okay Mido. It's over now. I won't take your place here - never dreamed of it. And you can be with Saria; I know you have had your eyes on her for so long."

This made Mido snap, quickly withdrawing and holding Link away by his shoulders. "Saria?"

"Yeah. I guess I should've mentioned this sooner, but I'm leaving Kokiri village. I don't know where I'm going, but I plan to travel. See the world, maybe settle down some-."

"You're leaving? Again?" Mido cried out, sniffling. Link tensed, his expression a frown.

"I - Yeah, I was thinking it was for the best. When I left here, the things I saw, the people I met; everything was so new and different. I don't know, I think I enjoyed that." The blonde spoke, a bit of a gleeful smile on his lips.

The Kokiri's hand swiped away tears. He sniffled and continued to wipe away his sadness. It wasn't working, was making it worsen.

"You're leaving." Mido repeated, gluing it in his mind so he could process what had been said. "You're just... leaving, again?" He looked up at Link, wearing a perplexed expression. Why was he leaving? Couldn't he stay?

"Yes Mido, I want to see the world. All of it. I want to visit all the towns, meet everyone, train with a sword and shield. I could even become an amazing warrior one day who fights off evil forces." Link spoke as if envisioning an ideal future before him, just in arm's length. 

He was going to leave Kokiri village again.

He really wasn't coming back this time.

"Takemewithyou!" Mido blurted out suddenly, catching the Hylian and himself completely off guard.

They both exchanged looks.

"Huh? What did you say, Mido? I couldn't quite hear it." Link commented, his voice sounding apologetic.

The orange-head inhaled sharply. "I said 'take me with you'. Like, when you go explore the rest of the world, can I go too?" It was a shot in the dark. 

'Maybe' was what he was expecting. But when Link sighed out and frowned, it was clear that there was no debate.

"Mido. You belong with the Kokiri. You're their leader..." The blonde trailed off. He began to open his mouth to continue, but Mido cut him off.

"What if I don't want to be their leader anymore? What if- what if I wanted to travel the world and become a warrior too? I can just recruit someone else, like Fado, or Saria, to lead them." The villager objected.

The Hylian hesitated, deep in thought. "Well, I still don't know. Tell you what, you can mull over it for a little bit I guess, but I want to get started on my voyage as soon as possible so you'll need to decide before that. Okay?"

Mido nodded triumphantly, swiping away at tears from earlier. "Yes!"

The rest of the night, the two managed to push aside the topic and enjoy some serene moments, together, by the water.

The two headed back into the village, and Link and Mido went their separate ways.

It was a week later, just as the sun was coming up, when Mido heard a knock at his door. He had been sleeping, and was just barely awoken by the pattering.

"Uh, come in?" He instructed, sitting up. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

The door creaked open, and Link stepped in. The door was shut as he walked over to Mido still in bed.

"Morning, Mido. I came to ask you about your decision." Link sat down on the bed beside Mido, looking down at him with a smile.

The 'decision'. All week, he was haunted by it. He wanted to go so badly, he really did. But the idea of navigating through mysterious land was admittedly terrifying.

"Mido?" Link called out, sensing his unease. He sighed out. "I guess I can wait a few more days."

The blonde stood, turning to leave.

"Wait! I- I have made up my mind!" Mido finally responded.

Link turned back to him, his mouth forming an 'o'.

"I've thought hard and long. Barely been able to compose myself for a whole week." It felt good to let that off his chest. It was the truth, after all. "But I know what I want."

Link spun around completely, stepping back up to Mido.

"So, what'll it be, stay here or join me?" He asked contentedly. Link already knew, just from Mido's smile, what he was going to reply with.

"I'll join you."


End file.
